Issue august18

EE

NEWS BoU cancels governor’s Shs10bn land deal... P.3

GOSSIP Wedding bells for NTV’s Faridah Nakazibwe... P.10 Thursday, August 18-24, 2016

FR

MATOOKE

REPUBLIC

www.matookerepublic.com FRESHLY PEELED INFO

Buganda goes digital with electronic cards to stop land fraud

nThe land title has just gone ditigal, meaning that forgery is a thing of the past.

PHOTOS

How the Club Mega Fest went down... P.8&9

2 MATOOKE REPUBLIC/ Thursday August 18-24, 2016

Seven Days

Social Media I Trending I Vibe

NEWS DIGEST

#Travel Like Mutabazi Jay Frogprince: Uganda Is one rich country. We are still absorbing selling goats and cows to raise 10bn Now this UCC chairman travelled to three different destinations on the same day in which his air tickets for a same day trip cost UGX29.7 million, UGX20.9 million and UGX29.5 million,Between April 2012 and September 2015 alone, Godfrey Mutabazi spent over UGX605 million on travel expenses. #OhUganda. #TravelLikeMutabazi Sseremba Alex: Hmmm this Guy has been travelling to mars !!!

Africa tewali ayamba!!!

Tkwais Peter: This type of travel is foolishly humbling.

Prince Ronnie: Uganda has ceased being a state. It is a “business community” and those venturing are getting rich overnight. Too bad!

Asiimwe Simon Peter: Mutabazi might close down social media if you continue questing his expenditure @ UCC_Official #TravelLikeMutabazi.

Shawn Mubiru: He can build a church worth 500 million and the leadership of the Church cannot question where he got it from but teeth around with its keys. Even the IGG is there dosing in satisfaction. Mutabazi is a magician.

Duncan Amitola: What if Mutabazi actually teleports from home to office?

These K’la roads surely can’t match his bill. #TravelLikeMutabazi.

DPP takes over Kayihura case

Little to cheer for Ugandans in Rio 2016 Olympics

The Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) this week finally took over the prosecution of the Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, and seven senior officers charged with beating Dr Kizza Besigye’s supporters last month. The private lawyers involved in the case had objected to the takeover, although the chief government prosecutor is mandated by Article 120 of the Constitution to take over a case if he so wishes. The two parties however reached an agreement on Tuesday for the DPP to handle the case.

Leaders condemn pro-Kayihura demos Ministers Jeje Odong and Kahinda Otafiire led the chorus of condemnation of the pro-Kale Kayihura demonstrators who last week besieged Makindye court reportedly to stop the IGP appearing in court where he was expected to defend himself over accusations of human rights violations and torture following acts of police brutality that lawyers claimed were authorised by Gen. Kayihura.

The Internal Affairs and Justice ministers respectively had their voices of criticism echoed by Chief Justice Bart Katureebe as well as key religious figures, among other leaders.

Our team’s start at the Rio Olympics was far from good as numerous Ugandans were knocked out at the first stage in their respectiveevents.

Those already eliminated include; swimmers Jamila Lunkusse and Joshua Ekirikubinza, boxers Kennedy Katende and Ronald Serugo, and athletes, Juliet Chekwel, Moses Kurong, Joshua Cheptegei Timothy Toriotich, Adero Nyakisi, Benjamin Kiplagat, Chesang Stella, Winnie Nanyondo, Jacob Araptany, Jacob Kiplimo and Phillip Kipyeko. Our medal hopes therefore lie in the six athletes left in the competition; Halima Nakaayi, Ronald Musagala, Joshua Cheptegei, Stephen Kiprotich, Mutai Solomon Munyo and Jackson Kiprop.

Makerere reopens after latest strike

Police shoot student dead in strike over Arsenal - Liverpool

Makerere University should have reopened on August 6, but a strike, this time by non-teaching staff over several months of unpaid salary arrears meant that didn’t happen. What happened instead is that the non-teaching staff strike prompted students to protest as well, drawing the attention of Education Minister Janet Museveni who ordered the university to open for the new semester. Other public universities however have not yet confirmed when they will reopen.

Kita Estaa: This mutabazi guy who spent Shs30million on 1air ticket travelled to mars or hell? #Uganda zabu indeed.

Allan Ntunguka a senior five student of St Mary’s College Rushoroza in Kabale was on Sunday evening hit and killed by a stray bullet as Kigezi police tried to calm down students who were striking after a conflict to two sets of supporters of the rival premier league teams Arsenal and Liverpool whose game they had been watching. Ntunguka was reportedly not involved in the strike. The policeman who shot and killed him is said to have escaped after dumping his gun at the police station.

Just for laughs

Maverick Blutaski’s: If this is true, then this level of impunity is unacceptable. This ain’t corruption at all but rather extreme means of undermining the state. These are the real underhand methods of the enermies of the state. 3 tickets to 3 defferent destinations on the same day? Ticket of 101M ? Jeezzz.... I smell the mafia trying to incite violence.

Asiimwe Simon Peter: @SeniorCymo: Mutabazi might close down social media if you continue questing his expenditure @UCC_Official #TravelLikeMutabazi.

CONTACT US Matooke Republic Media Ltd. Kiwatule -Naalya Road.

P.o. Box 11393 Kampala, Uganda Phone: 0392 000124 Email: info@matookerepublic.com website: www.matookerepublic. com Facebook: www.facebook.com/matookerepublic Twitter: @matookerepublic

Theon Baelish™ ‫@‏‬jfluyinda: Realising now @UCC_Official may be paying the guy to go to bed. He flies there too. #TravelLikeMutabazi

Former Obsessions singer Jackie Tusiime at her kuhingira in Bushenyi last weekend. The wedding is on this weekend.

Practical picture of the history lesson “The gun followed the cross.

Mutinga Mutinga @tingaland #TravelLikeMutabazi Hello Mutabazi, how was mars?

Thursday August 18-24, 2016/ MATOOKE REPUBLIC 3

18

Context I Depth

News Feature

BoU cancels Shs10b purchase of land for governor’s house In June, we broke the story of Bank of Uganda’s attempt to purchase two acres of land—at Shs10.5b—for the construction of a residence for the governor. There was one problem however; the central bank had ignored a significantly lower bid of Shs2.6b in awarding the contract. After the intervention of various government agencies the procurement process, suspended in July, has now been cancelled altogether, writes William Kasoba

B

ank of Uganda has cancelled a Shs10.5 billion procurement deal to acquire two acres of land in Mbuya for the construction of a residence for the governor.

The controversial deal, which was first made public through a Matooke Republic exposé in our issue of June 23, 2016, was cancelled on the recommendation of the Public Procurement Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA), according to a document that this newspaper has seen.

The document, authored by the central bank governor at the beginning of this month, was a response to the PPDA’s letter to the BoU recommending that the deal should be terminated. In Matooke Republic‘s June report we revealed how the central bank had selected former Ethics minister Tim Lwanga’s Shs10.5 billion bid to supply two acres of land for the governor’s house ahead of a cheaper bid of Shs2.6 billion—by Barkis Co. Ltd, which bidder then petitioned the Office of the IGG while at the same time seeking an administrative review by BoU of the entire procurement process.

BoU governor Prof. Emmauel TumusiimeMutebile’s letter to PPDA reads in part: “You made reference to Section 9 of the PPDA Act which empowers the Authority to intervene in any procurement and make particular directives or recommendations in case there are breaches with regard to a particular procurement” and continues, “The said letter and the attached report were interpreted to be a directive to Bank of Uganda to cancel the procurement process and not a mere recommendation”. Prof. Mutebile then concludes: “As directed, BoU shall cancel the tender for the Procurement of Land for the Construction of Governor’s Residence.”

In a July 26, 2016 communication PPDA had recommended that the deal should be terminated on grounds that included irregularities in the evaluation process, bid validity and value for money. In mid July, the central bank announced it was suspending the procurement process for the said land after PPDA, the body charged with overseeing public procurements, commenced investigations into the deal on the prompting of the Inspectorate of Government.

The whistleblower who petitioned the IGG’s office over the deal in June had claimed there was outright disregard for the principle of “value of money” in executing the land procurement exercise, while also citing a number of other irregularities, such as the fact that the procurement exercise had lasted a year.

The tender was advertised in June 2015, but the contract was only awarded in June of this year.

Tender background The contested procurement followed a

2015 invitation by the Bank of Uganda’s invitation to bidders to supply land in any one of Mbuya, Munyonyo or Kololo. According to the bank’s procurement reference BOU/ SRVCS/14-15/00247/ bidders were also required to provide land that should “preferably have dual unobstructed access and a lake view”. Four bidders competed, namely Mr Lwanga, Barkis Ltd, owned by Simon Bakulumpagi, Peter Kamya and DSN International Ltd. While Mr Lwanga’s winning bid would cost the BoU Shs5.25 billion per acre, the offer by Barkis would have cost the central bank Shs1.3 billion per acre—or Shs10.5b and Shs2.6b in total respectively. The selection of Mr Lwanga’s as the winning bid prompted Barkis to petition the central bank seeking an administrative review.

Tumusiime Mutebile.

Tim Lwanga.

4 MATOOKE REPUBLIC / Thursday August 18-25, 2016

Feature

Technology I Land

YOUR LAND TITLE ON AN E-CARD Buganda Land Board launches technology to cut out land fraud With the new technology, tenants on Buganda Kingdom land will be issued electronic cards that will also use Palm Vein Biometrics, which is a foolproof way to solve the issue of who has rights to a certain piece of land. Stealing and forging land titles will become a thing of the past with this innovation, writes Irene M.Namarah

T

enants on the Kabaka’s land will soon be able to carry around their land titles in their wallets, after the Buganda Land Board launched a new kind of technology that delivers land titles as electronic cards or ecards. BLB has introduced the Buganda Land Board Land Electronic Card (BLB LE-CARD) which is a secure biometric card that is aimed to address rampant land title theft while also simplifying land transactions.

The card will be based on state of art technology known as Palm Vein Biometrics, which is a technique of identification through the analysis of the patterns of blood vessels visible from the surface of the skin. In the case of the BLB LE-CARD, those who register to acquire the card will have their palm veins on both hands scanned and the vein patterns captured together with the client’s biometric and land information before all those details are added to the BLB LE-CARD. “We have already started issuing the BLB LE-CARD and they cost Shs100,000,” said Ms. Margaret Miiro Nansubuga who speaks for the e-card project. “At the moment, we are issuing from the headquarters but we are planning to open up other centers very soon,” she added.

She explained that unlike fingerprint biometric technology which has been discovered to occasionally be affected by dry skin or wet skin, Palm Vein technology has proved unique and secure because scientists have discovered humans do not have similar palm vein patterns which enhances information security.

The BLB hopes the enhanced verification the technology offers will enormously reduce forgeries as well as cases of false identity.

According to the BLB’s research the major problems affecting land transactions have been misrepresentation and falsification of documents.

Asked whether the project had brought the Ministry of Lands onboard with a view to rolling the card out nationally, Ms Nansubuga

The card is issued at the Buganda Land Board office in Bulange, Mengo.

said there were plans to meet with ministry officials to discuss the program so that it can be extended “to help all Ugandans who’re in experiencing land troubles”.

The project aims to begin with land holders on Kabaka’s land, both registered and unregistered. It will then roll out to all interested land owners in Uganda including those not on the Kabaka’s land.

Registering for the card Tenants on Kabaka’s land shall be required to provide their biological and land information to the staff at the designated Land Electronic Card Centre at Buganda Land Board. During registration, land owners will be required to present both their right and left hands to be scanned to get their palm vein pattern information which will then be used to capture their biological information. Clients will also part with a nominal fee for these services offered.

Once captured, the Palm Vein information will be synchronised on to a personal BLBE-Card and every cardholder will have a personal password.

Benefits of BLB LE-CARD nLimiting abuse of stolen land titles. n Limited access to one’s land information by unauthorised personnel. n Forgery of signatures for one to access land information shall be cut out as one’s palm vein pattern will be required.

Thursday August 18-25, 2016, MATOOKE REPUBLIC 5

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6 MATOOKE REPUBLIC / Thursday August 18-24, 2016

Columns

Opinions I Ideas

POINT BLANK

IRENE M. NAMARAH

Me and my twin sister LETTER TO MY MANGO PEOPLE jacobs seaman odongo

Did Irene miss the memo requiring every woman to stock lightening cream?

I

s it just me or has it become increasingly difficult to come across a dark skinned ordinary woman?

Ordinary as in all senses of the word…

There’s a massacre of dark-skins in our midst and most of us are too dumb to see it.

Is it just me or has it become increasingly difficult to come across a dark skinned ordinary woman? Ordinary as in all senses of the word… There’s a massacre of dark-skins in our midst and most of us are too dumb to see it.

I once found a very lovely light skin in a supermarket. She was fidgeting to purchase something without being noticed.

The package was a bit too bulgy it couldn’t have been condoms, so my curiosity got the best of me. I peeped only to find that it was a tin of lightening cream. I wondered why it was such a shame to purchase such a thing if one thought it was normal. Just like condoms, one wants results but doesn’t want to show they’re doing it even though everyone knows they do it.

When you go to the market, ladies are every color except dark. Hit the bar/restaurant and you will assume light skin is one of the qualifications. You can count on one hand the number of dark-skinned bank tellers in any given bank. Almost every shop in town is attended by a light skin. Even ordinary women who suddenly become famous end up being light skins. This is so causing me brain spasm.

For starters, the dark skin is being left to the highly intelligent extraordinary women. The rocket scientists, the brain surgeons, the inventors, the power shakers, powerful CEOs, history makers, I’m talking about broadly significant women.

It’s not by chance that I have left out successful businesswomen.

You see successful business women encompasses ladies who own the biggest shops in town such as salons, boutiques, bars, restaurants, those who purchase stock from abroad, those who work abroad, celebrities, socialites, pastors et al. These ladies no matter how much money they have are still wit-fully ordinary. To push my point home, I will say their IQ is ordinary.

For long I’ve been dying to make a practical and theoretical connection between the light and dark skins, so that maybe I could try to figure out why the dark skinned are fast becoming an endangered species. Can you ask yourself when you last heard a man list a dark skin as one of the things he wants in a woman? Yet these same men do date and marry our lovely dark skins but to some extent these beautiful women end up lightening.

This leaves me with no choice but to say that they lighten their lovely natural skin because they realized that they were a last resort to the growing numbers of light-skin-fetish men.

It’s no longer a mere reason of ladies who bleach lacking self-confidence, they’re also typical psychotics. Leave alone the fact that they know all the visible side effects, they also murder the sexy dark skinned African beauty.

We cannot leave dark skins to the few extraordinary women. They’re too few to keep the dark-skin species alive after 300 years, because of their psychotic tendencies, women who bleach and the men who push them into it are all pushing the dark-skins into extinction.

“

“Ordinary women who suddenly become famous end up being light skins .”

inamarah@matookerepublic.com

S

ome time in December 1982, I was trying to catch a siesta after a lunch of these really stubborn sweet potatoes grown at the foothills of the Rwenzori. Forget the watery potatoes you find littering roadside stalls around the slums in Kampala, the ones my Bakhonzo hosts cultivated was that type that needed an axe for peeling and hard the contented figure more scary than VP Ssekandi’s face.

Such is the reputation of these potatoes that they would be tinted pink like Gen Jeje Odongo’s morphed look when young but turn tough indigo when mature. So imagine the effect of such potatoes on a foetal me when my mother had a hard punch of lunch. She took to her siesta and naturally I followed suit.

That was when my sister kicked.

She kicked again and again. I squirmed and told her she was kicking the wrong person.

“Why don’t you kick the right spot, you should be kicking mom,” I said.

“Man up, dude,” she retorted. “And you should be embarrassed of saying I should kick mom. Our existence alone is already enough burden.”

Obviously, my twin sister was not in a good mood. I tried to reason that mom always liked it when we kicked as she would smile and massage the spot affectionately but the girl I was sharing the womb with was in a foul mood.

“But Olivia, are you practicing to be Donald Trump’s spokesperson? You are too acerbic today,” I said.

“Who is Trump?”

“He will be contesting for US presidency against a woman he will show no respect to at all some 34 years from now.”

“And who is Olivia you just mentioned?”

“That is the ugly name they chose for you the day we hit wretched side of life called earth.”

“But how would you know these things?”

I shrugged. She took the cue.

“I think I understand you. I keep getting these weird visions that we are all grown up and there are these things happening that makes me want to remain in here forever.”

“Weird things like what.”

“Like being some wretched mango people in a banana republic and enduring terrible leadership. There is this man called Kayi-something, he is

“

“Having visions that there will be this idle man called Lokodo haunting victims of leaked nudes.” going to reinvent stupidity.”

“Why do you always see bad things, Olivia?”

“Well, I see good ones too bad the bad ones worry me. That is why I remember them longer.”

“Like which ones?”

“First tell me about your good ones.”

“Bolt will run while smiling and still win. He will gut some Gatlin real bad.”

“You are fake... bro, there is going to be this woman at NTV, she will be bad to even fellow women.”

“You mean the one who will sack Anita for nude photos and another Anne something for competing with men over fellow girls?”

“That one. As if that is not bad enough, this really idle man called Lokodo will always be haunting the victims.”

“Lokodo? That name sounds like a bad case of diarrhoea already after a meal of pounded white ants.”

“You are perverted and wasted,

bro. No wonder you fart a lot. You should speed up your exit and allow me enjoy this serene space alone.”

“As a matter of fact, you will cry to be pushed back in here first as I enjoy a few more minutes in here. It will be good having all this space to me.”

“I won’t cry to be away from your farts.”

“Well, you will be officially in a world where women are sexually objectified by society so much so that their nudes are sold to tabloids and make rounds on social media...”

“Scary things. I trust you will protect us.”

“Of course, I would have to protect my sister’s.”

“I said us. Not just me and your other many biological sisters out there. Every woman. You must never be like those men who insult women.”

“You don’t have to be so specific.”

“I have to. There are douche bags out there who will take a lot of pleasure in insulting women who have gone through misery to achieve success by accusing them of being former prostitutes. Such stinkpots of human beings actually praise men instead when their humble past is mentioned but revile women.”

“And behind them will be Lokodo...”

“You know, I was about to spit at the mention of that name but realised this womb belongs to mom,” “Shhh! She is waking up.”

-jeyseaman@gmail.com

Thursday August 18-24, 2016, MATOOKE REPUBLIC 7

18

Concert I Bebe Cool Live

News

#SAVEKACIE CASTS SPOTLIGHT

on sickle cell disease Most couples ignore taking the sickle cell test, yet it is the only way to avoid producing a sick child. The prevalence rate of carriers is high in Uganda, but most people don’t know their status, writes Irene M. Namarah

G

enerous Ugandans converged at Hotel Africana last Saturday, to raise funds for sickle cell anaemia victim Kacie Imran Buuza, aged six. Kacie needs $100,000 to seek a bone marrow transplant in the US to save his life.

On Saturday, Shs10.8m and $10,000 was raised.

“Thank you Uganda, you have touched our hearts, we shall forever be grateful. We are now more steps closer to our ultimate target 100,000 dollars, together we have now raised $45000.” Kacie’s father Hakeem Buuza said after the event.

At the event, more than 300 parents and children took the sickle cell test. This put the spotlight on the highly prevalent yet ignored sickle cell trait in Uganda. Unlike HIV tests, sickle cell tests are usually ignored by couples yet it is the only way to ensure that children are born sickle cell free. Many parents are sickle cell trait carriers, with the gene inherited from their parents and when two carriers make a baby, there is a high likelihood of the baby having the sickle cell disease.

How Does Someone Get Sickle Cell Trait?

People who have inherited one sickle cell gene and one normal gene have SCT. This means the person won’t have the disease, but will be a trait “carrier” and can pass it on to his or her children

Uganda figures

A volunteer washes a car at the fundraiser.

What Is Sickle Cell Trait?

Sickle cell trait (SCT) is not a disease, but having it means that a person has inherited the sickle cell gene from one of his or her parents.

People with SCT usually do not have any of the symptoms of sickle cell disease (SCD) and live a normal life.

What Is Sickle Cell Disease?

SCD is a genetic condition that is present at birth. In SCD, the red blood cells become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a “sickle.” The sickle cells die early, which causes a constant shortage of red blood cells. Also, when they travel through small blood vessels, they get stuck and clog the blood flow.

This can cause pain and other serious problems. It is inherited when a child receives two sickle cell genes—one from each parent.

A person with SCD can pass the disease or SCT on to his or her children.

Little Kacie and his mum at the fundrasier.

Bebe Cool takes the sickle cell test at Africana.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

According to a 2014 Ministry of Health survey carried out to establish the prevalence of sickle cell trait and disease, at least 15,000 to 20,000 babies are born with sickle cell disease every year in Uganda, and 80 per cent of them die before their fifth birthday.

The chances If both parents have SCT, there is a 50% (or 1 in 2) chance that the child also will have SCT if the child inherits the sickle cell gene from one of the parents. Such children will not have symptoms of SCD, but they can pass SCT on to their children.

• If both parents have SCT, there is a 25% (or 1 in 4) chance that the child will have SCD. • There is the same 25% (or 1 in 4) chance that the child will not have SCD or SCT. • If one parent has SCT, there is a 50% (or 1 in 2) chance that the child will have SCT and an equal 50% chance that the child will not have SCT. Centre for disease control.

8 MATOOKE REPUBLIC / Thursday August 18-24 2016

On the Scene

Photos I Events I Going Out

Off duty: Mowzey Radio, Jose Chameleone and Weasel were spectators.

Epic: Sauti Sol put up a great show during the Mega Fest.

SAUTI SOL

MEGA FEST big show

Kenyan boy band Sauti Sol were the headliners of the Club Mega Fest show at Sheraton gardens last Saturday. The Kenyans behind songs like Sura Yako, Nerea and Live and Die In Africa proved that they are in a class of their own with a scintilating performance. But that’s not to say the Ugandan performers were any less entertaining. Maddox Ssematimba with his timeless ballads that even got Chameleone on stage, Sheebah Karungi and Chosen Blood doing Waddawa plus Ziza Bafana and Navio giving the best ragga and Hip Hop worlds, revellers can’t wait for Club beer to announce the next Mega Fest.

Waddawa: Chozen Blood and Sheebah sing the hit of the moment.

Ever green: Maddox Ssematimba’s tunes always sound fresh.

Short shorts: Leilah Kayondo and Hellen Lukoma.

Hip hop head: Navio drops his latest hit Njogereza.

Ragga muffin: Ziza Bafana drops his rhymes.

Thursday August 18-24 2016, MATOOKE REPUBLIC 9

Photos I Events I Going Out

On the Scene

Spectator: Irene Ntale on the other side of the stage.

Having a good time: Gideon Kirumira and his you know who.

Chilling in the VIP: Enjoying the show and chilled Club beer.

BFFs: Jaylor Birungi hugs Ellah after her moment with a Sauti Sol dude.

Big fan: Salvado was the emcee and baby mama Daphine enjoyed his jokes.

Are these cows?

Who said Radio and Weasel’s

She loves her beer: NBS TV’s Agatha Loswash.

10 MATOOKE REPUBLIC / Thursday August 18-24, 2016

Gossip

Who I What I Where

Ghetto President Bobi enrols for Law degree W

ith his intentions to become a lawmaker now all clear, singer Bobi Wine has decided to pursue a law degree.

We have it on good authority that Bobi Wine recently applied and passed preentry exams for a law course at a Kansanga-based university.

The singer whose intentions to stand for the Kyadondo East MP sit are now a public secret, had managed to keep his new academic undertaking a secret.

Sources told us that Bobi decided to pursue the degree to be able to understand laws better and to ‘also be exemplary to youths that they can always upgrade academically to widen their scope of understanding issues.’

Bobi graduated so many years ago with a bachelor’s degree in Music Dance and Drama (MDD) from Makerere University.

Sources told us that Bobi had opted to do the degree at Makerere University, but he was a bit shy about the population at the Makerere Law School, hence choosing the less populated Ggaba road based university.

We wish you all the best Bobi!

Seven DJs lined up for Val’s old skool bash A

fter cementing his name as one of the best when it comes to old school theme parties, radio host Val Oketcho is taking his game to another level.

Val is the brain behind ‘the Back to Basics’ bash; a celebration of musical classics and hits stretching back to the musical years of the 70s, 80s, predominantly 90s and lately music up to 2005 slated for this Saturday August 20 at Diner’s Lounge, Bukoto.

According to Val, the party aims at bringing his peers, those older and slightly younger, together at an all-day musical experience where they get an opportunity to step into ‘the musical time machine and enjoy the ride to the past, when ‘music was music.’

And Uganda Breweries Limited through their Johnnie Walker Red Label brand have taken full sponsorship of the Back to Basics #8 referred to as ‘The Re.Birth’ According to Val, seven renowned DJ’s are on the roaster to cater for all musical tastes from RnB, lingala, hip hop to slows. They include Selector Jay from Guvnor, DJ BK, Sanyu FM’s DJ Pita, DJ Moze and DJ Bonni Legend. Others will include veteran radio host Alex Ndawula.

“The showcase will be complete with Barbeque, board games, dool, mini basketball and kwepena activities. Doors open at 2pm and cover charge is 20k.

Wedding bells for Faridah Nakazibwe!

E

arlier this week, our sources at the Serena- based NTV Uganda called us with a hot story; that sexy news anchor Faridah Nakazibwe might finally be walking down the aisle anytime soon.

Well, hold your breath; not so fast; Faridah is not locking it down with the person many of you have in mind.

The source told us that Faridah and the NRM top honcho broke

it off several months back and that the mother of two had found a much younger fellow!

The source told us that the ‘Mwasuze Mutya’ morning show host found love in a one Dr Omar Ssali and that the two are seriously considering making it official.

The source told us that Faridah recently took Dr Omar to her parents and a date for their official introduction ceremony was set, before the wedding- all happening this year.

The source told us that Faridah has since channeled a better part of her days on calling and meeting service providers. All the best Farida, hope we shall be invited!

Thursday August 18-24 2016, MATOOKE REPUBLIC 11

Who I What I Where

Gossip

SK MBUGA WEDDING

to cost Shs 2bn E

arlier this month, tycoon Sulaiman Kabangala Mbuga a.k.a SK Mbuga was over the moon after his lover Vivian Birungi gave birth to a baby girl in Sweden.

Mbuga had a few weeks ago presented Viviane with a red state of the art Mercedes Benz as a gift for carrying a baby for him.

And everyone was wondering what gift the tycoon would give Vivian after delivery! Well, when the tycoon touched on Swedish soil,

New girl on the block Barbaritah’s duet with Mun G goes viral T

here’s a new a new girl causing ripples on the music scene; her name is Barbaritah.

Barbaritah’s claim to fame so far, is her duet with rapper Mun G titled Nkooye.

With just a few weeks into its release, Nkooye continues to enjoy serious power play on various radio and TV stations as well as in hangouts in and outside town.

Apparently, Barbaritah who has been a background artiste, had earlier been spotted by Kream Productions’ boss Hajji Haruna Mubiru, but the singer turned down the band’s offer to sign her and direct her career.

Barbaritah instead signed up with Maritini Entertainment that is owned by renowned construction designs expert.

Barbaritah was overheard telling friends over the weekend that

her dreams of becoming a music star had come so early as her management is very serious about her career with several audios done and another yet to be released video already shot and many more in the works.

he immediately proposed to Vivian and the two set November 26 as their wedding date.

Well, we have since learnt that the tycoon is not planning an ordinary wedding; according to sources close to Mbuga, their wedding will cost Shs 800m minus honeymoon costs. The total budget associated with the wedding is Shs2bn.

“He (Mbuga) is planning to fly in four state of the art vehicles that will be part of the bridal entourage

and he intends to keep them as souvenirs after the wedding,” the source told us.

The source also told us that Mbuga intends to have two kasikis in Uganda, one in South Africa and he also intends to throw two for Vivan- one in Sweden and another in Uganda.”

The source told us that Mbuga intends to start on plans for their lavish wedding when he returns to Uganda this week!.

10 MATOOKE REPUBLIC / Thursday August 18-24, 2016

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Who I What I Where

Thursday August 18-24 2016, MATOOKE REPUBLIC 13

Music I Going Out

TALKING MUSIC

UGANDA ENTERTAINMENT

AWARDS ON TOMORROW

BY POLLY KAMUKAMA

S

erena Hotel Kampala will tomorrow play host to the second annual edition of the Uganda Entertainment Awards (UEA).

A total of 47 awards will be given out across a wide range of categories spanning the local entertainment industry at this year’s ceremony.

Nigerian songstress YemiAlade jetted into the country yesterday ahead of her scheduled headline performance at the glitzy event tomorrow.

The 25-year-old Johnny hit maker will be joined by popular Kenyan boy bandSauti Sol and Tanzania’s Ali Kiba as the guest performers of the evening.

The star trio will share the stage with Uganda’s very own heavyweights including Sheebah Karungi, Bebe Cool, ZizaBafana and Madoxx Sematimba among others.

Eddy Kenzo and

Sheebah Karungi are leading this year’s nominations pack with six and five nods each, respectively. The pair faces off in the Artiste of the Year and Video of the Year categories with the Queen tipped for

triumph.

The awards’ CEO Kabs Haloha revealed to this newspaper in an exclusive interview last week that cash rewards of up to Shs1m per award will be given out to winners in all the major categories.

He could not however reveal which categories are eligible for the cash tokens, but inside sources tell us at least up to half of the winners are set to benefit from this special arrangement.

Haloha and team are working with a fairly huge budget this year thanks to a Shs 150m sponsorship package from controversial businessman and philanthropist Jack Pemba.

Pemba, under his Pemba Sports Africa (PSA) Ltd company, is also responsible for flying in Liverpool FC legend Robbie Fowler to attend tomorrow’s fete.

Incepted last year, the UEA seek to transform Uganda’s entertainment industry by celebrating its most outstanding talents on a global platform.

Renowned South African TV host Bonang Matheba will cover this year’s show for American channel E! making it the second ever African event to be featured on the biggest entertainment television in the world.

Matheba will be accompanied to the show by her equally famous compatriot, former Big Brother Africa housemate and Gaetano Kagwa’s exlover,Abbey Plaatjes.

THE SHOW

Tickets to the show are now selling at Shs50,000 and Shs100,000 for ordinary and VIP seats, respectively. Corporate tables go for Shs3m each. You can now buy your ticket online at jumia.com and easyticket.com as well as Serena Hotel.

Gates open at 4pm.

Showbiz

Uganda Entertainment Awards 2016 What: The event recognises the best entertainers in Uganda, from musicians to comedians, actors and radio and TV personalities.

Venue: Kampala Serena Hotel.

When: Friday 19th August Tax: 50k for ordinary. seats and 100k for VIP seats. Tables cost Shs3m.

Kampala Rolex Festival What:A festival celebrating Uganda’s roadside delicacy that the rest of the world knows as a watch.

Venue: Uganda Museum.

When: Sunday 21st August.

Tax: 10K.

Buganda Cultural Exhibition What: A public event aimed at showcasing various craft products like shopping bags, hand bags, baskets , table mats, beads and many more.

Venue: Lubiri Palace When: Sunday 21st August Tax: Free

World Fashion Day What: Don’t miss showcases by designers like LatifMadoi, Zed Designer, Turner designs, LunkoDesigns, Momo Designer, Njola Designs and many more.

There will also Jewellery and makeup showcases on the same runway.

Venue: Tal Hotel cottages Rubaga.

When: Sunday August 21.

Tax: 20K and 30k for VIP.

14 MATOOKE REPUBLIC / Thursday August 18-24, 2016

Fashion

Trends I Slaying I Killing It

WHAT IS TRENDING? Matching separates R

emember when matching your outfit was a thing? Wearing red shoes, matched with your red T-shirt and the red cap was surely the in thing once upon a time. And that fizzled out slowly. Well, its back and we are loving every little bit of that.

Josephine Nakafeero Fashion designer, TV presenter

Matching separates are the new way to wear your doubles, without looking like you are dressing to Sunday school.

celeb style

How would you describe your style?

My style is simple but classy, I don’t over dress up by the way.

What is the one fashion item you cannot live without?

OMG, I can’t live without high heels and skinny jeans. Plus jewellery and lately I’m so addicted to shopping for sun glasses.

You can wear your matching separates, either as a skirt and crop top look or even short shorts and oversized top look.

What is your worst buy ever?

My worst buy ever, let me see.

There’s an evening dress that I bought but after reaching home and fit it again, I realised I didn’t like it and I have never put it on for any occasion.

Depending on your choice of fabric, and even detailing like prints, this look can surely have you turning a few heads.

The key element here is your accessories. You can have on anything from heels and clutch to sneaker and back pack, depending on where you are dressing to, or the look you want to achieve.

What styling trick works for you all the time?

I mind my body shape and skin complexion because these matter a lot.

When it comes to the bottoms, or even the tops, any style will working with this styling element. You can have pants and shirt, an eyelet top and skort set, or even a round skirt and bra let set. It all depends on what you are comfortable with, or the look you are going for.

Not a fan of ...

Miniskirts. I actually don’t wear them.

street style

Anthony Kays: When it’s your birthday; and you turn up in full style gear.

Chanty Ruta: Whoever said the beautiful ones aren’t born yet surely isn’t seeing this picture right now!

Madrine Muwanguzi: When you put your best smile forward to complete your look!

Thursday August 18-24, 2016, MATOOKE REPUBLIC 15

Study I Chillax I Live It

Kyambogo replaces staff on strike

THE CAMPUS PREMIERES

TODAY ON NBS TV

Campus Buzz OUR CRUSH

K

yambogo University Vice Chancellor Prof. Elly Katunguka has announced that the university has decided replace all non-teaching staff on strike. “We have hired new staff as directed by the Minister to replace all those non-teaching staff that are still out there on strike,” he said.

Prof. Katunguka also ordered the nonteaching staff on strike to take back all toilet and kitchen keys so that the university can resume operation with new staff.

However, most of the the non-teaching staff on strike are still adamantly standing by their word and haven’t yet handed back over the keys and other uni materials as per orders given.

“We cannot give out our offices just like that. We signed contracts so they can’t just be terminated,” said a one Jackson while addressing his fellow non-teaching staff.

The non-teaching staff earlier refused to report back as scheduled for the new semester after failing to agree with government on salary enhancement and arrears payment.

t

he Campus, a new highly intense TV series premieres this evening on NBS TV. The series, created and penned by Billy Ashaba and directed by veteran Philip Luswata will air every Thursday and Friday at 8.30pm.

It is centred on Andrew (real name Steven Katusiime) who lived a single life but he is in for a rollercoaster ride when he joins campus and meets crazy friends.

The show was shot at Makerere University by Buddies Production in conjunction with the university’s faculty of music dance and drama.

The cast includes Steven Katusiime, Elvis Andrew Mutebi, Gloria Adrian Uwi Mbabazi, Sarafina Muhawenimana, Dolliyantha Phiona, Timohty Kalemba, Harmony Kyomugusiha and Philip Luswata.

Matooke Republic’s crush this week is Sharon Senyonjo from Makerere University.

t “Come Prepared to Learn, Leave Prepared to Succeed”

TOP

Facul

Victoria Towers, Plot 1 - 13 Jinja Road, Kampala, Tel: +256 417 727 000 / +256 759 996 146 / 130, admissions@vu.ac.ug

Dept

www.vu.ac.ug

victoria university kampala uganda

+256 700 300 088

@vukampala

16 MATOOKE REPUBLIC / Thursday August 18-24 2016

Body & Soul

Living I Relating

HEALTH

Keep body sweat where it belongs

BY IRENE M. NAMARAH

Y

ou’ve probably been told before that it’s okay to sweat as much as possible because that has some health benefits. But that is best if happening at designated places like the gym, sauna, or any other exercising area. It cannot be fun sweating profusely on a date or in an important business meeting. If you sweat much more than the regular person it could be that you have a condition medically known as hyperhidrosis.

Contrary to what many people think, sweating a lot is not a sign of anxiety or emotional distress; it is in fact the other way round. Excessive sweating is what brings the anxiety so the earlier one knows their condition, the better they can deal with it.

Here are a few ways to do that: See a doctor first Excessive sweating can be a sign of an underlying health condition such as a tumour, obesity, menopause, gout or diabetes, which is why you need to rule out

these or any other conditions before trying out home remedies.

Take lots of water Hydration is twice more needed when you are the kind of person that sweats a lot. What drinking lots of water does is that it helps to keep your body temperatures extra cool and therefore less likely to sweat unnecessarily.

Skip sugary foods A large intake of chemical toxins found in processed

THE TOYBOY

is just wrong

relate Unlocking the matters of the heart

Don’t pin your hopes on a man younger than you, please!

and sugary/spicy food makes your body susceptible to instant and excessive sweating. An added advantage to avoiding these foods is that it’s easier to control weight gain.

Eat the right foods Eat foods rich in vitamin B complex as they are efficient in in absorbing nutrients which in turn helps to properly break down toxins and body waste. These foods include; whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables. Protein foods such as fish and eggs are also recommended.

Try the teabag soak Boil teabags and soak your hands and feet in them. This is a home remedy that will help control the sweating between your legs and armpits.

Cut back on hot drinks If you’re a person who sweats a lot, hot drinks, especially coffee, are your worst enemy.

Opt for fresh juice or icedbeverages to regulate your temperature.

Natural fibre clothes It is recommended for anyone that sweats excessively to wear natural fibre clothes (such as cotton and wool) so as to ensure proper air circulation on the skin.

Avoid nylon and polyester like the plague.

It’s also important that your clothing is loose.

Avoid deodorants If you sweat excessively, surprising as it sounds, you are best advised to avoid deodorants because most are often not compatible with your body. Plus, they stick to the skin and when they mix with sweat produce a foul odour.

It is advisable to use body spray instead—especially the type with aluminum chloride as an active ingredient.

I

t might be acceptable, even cool to have a man twice a girl’s age, but try putting the shoe on the other foot; a lady dating a man twice younger and you quickly realise it’s a no-no. Ladies in that position might try to make the relationship work at any cost (pun intended) but even when inspired by all the popular “they thought we would never make it” stories, most of such relationships always end up in the gutter.

Even if we ignore for a moment the fact that ladies age faster than men, it’s astonishing these young men just seem to reach a point in the relationship and simply stop growing. They so stop growing that they start to appear as though they’re growing backwards. So you’re trying hard to age gracefully, your little man is doing everything possible to make you appear twice your age (and his).

It all starts when your significant young man makes you feel so young as well. You love his high spirits and energy. The fact that he leaves his pretty age mates to settle for you makes it all feel like magic, and you wonder how lucky you must be…

until reality sets in. When you start to say “I’m too old for that sh*t,” you know reality has arrived. While you might want to prove to the people who said it would never work, deep inside you know that your little man will make a great, sorry, awful hubby.

“

“A lady dating a man twice younger than you should quickly realise it’s a no-no” Unless you’re dating an extraordinarily intelligent young man, you will never have a mature conversation. He has no experience to talk of and even if he does, what are the chances that it equals or supersedes yours? So when you’re talking about how important it is to build a house, he’s talking about pimping the car.

When you insist that it’s no longer necessary to go out every weekend, to him it’s being home grounded

all over again. If you wait for him to grow out of it, your head will be all grey hair by the time he does.

He hasn’t yet fully comprehended that the world is full of BS. Your little guy has both young and old women eyeing him and there’s nothing he takes more seriously than that fact.

Dresses (immaturely) to kill and if he can’t go to the latest show in town, he will sulk for weeks. If you’re lucky and he’s out of school, getting a job is hard, keeping it is even harder.

Contrary to most thinking, young men don’t fear commitment, for a short time that is.

They love that they have a mature woman but at the same time have a “mummy complex.” They don’t like that you act like mummy yet they also like that you’re always home with a warm meal whenever they come. They like that your career is shooting high but they also resent you for it. You kind of remind them of the reality of working hard and mummy used to do the same yet now is not a good time to work hard when there’s so much time for it in the future.

IRENE M. NAMARAH

Beauty Essentials

Simple face care tips to keep your skin glowing Very few people are lucky enough to have a flawless skin that doesn’t require a lot of care, but rather than finding the best skin specialists there are out there, it is cheaper to arm yourself with practical tips to maintain a glowing skin because you just don’t know when your skin decides to act up. Here are a few tips to help you effortlessly keep your skin free of flaws.

• •

•

Refrain from using makeup every day or if you must, use as light make-up as possible.

Always remove your makeup before you hit the sheets. You can use olive oil if you don’t have makeup remover.

Always protect yourself from too

• •

•

•

•

much sun. Use sunscreen if you must be in the sun.

What you eat matters. Maintain a balanced diet and stay away from oily and over spiced foods.

Rescue your skin from dehydration by drinking at least eight glasses of water a day and lots of fruits that are rich in water.

Don’t tamper with acne/pimples; instead just clean the area with lukewarm water, and place a chilled green tea bag for 10 minutes.

Practice stress reduction by meditation or yoga as stress is also known for wearing the skin out.

Sweat out all the dirt in your skin by regular exercising, sauna and

• •

steam bath.

Sleep for at least eight hours a day.

Stay away from dehydrating substances like alcohol, coffee, energy drinks, smoking and drugs.

Thursday August 18-24 2016, MATOOKE REPUBLIC 17

18

Kids I Mums I Dads

Parenting

barbie kyagulanyi PARENT TO PARENT

MANNERS matter W

“

“You introduce the morals and instil them one day at a time”

e’ve been watching the Olympic games together as a family and it’s addictive I must say. When one of us is heading out to work, they find themselves standing in the doorway with one leg in the house and the other on the veranda half-heartedly drawing themselves away from the TV. Personally, I guess I don’t miss much of the games because I follow some videos online.

So, the other day as I watched Bolt being interviewed after he had won a gold medal, something caught my eye. He paused the interview he was giving and asked all press to stop in respect of the national anthem which was being played in the stadium. I listened closely and what challenged me the most was realising that the anthem playing in the background was not Jamaica’s (his country of origin) but America’s!

I was amazed by the level of discipline. Immediately, I was in awe of the good job his parents must have done on him. Boy was raised well with respect instilled on his fingertips! Bolt is a god of sorts, why would he cut short his moment to stand in respect to a foreign country’s anthem? My analysis; he’s well raised. Period!

Respect for other people and their values comes naturally to him.

Raising a child to society’s standards of good morals seems to be tougher than it has ever been.

You don’t have your child greeting elders, eating without widely

opening their mouth, calmly sitting down and not climbing seats when there’s visitors around, by just talking to them once. Persistence my friends, PERSISTENCE! You introduce the morals and instill them one day at a time.

Patiently watching and crediting the changes.

Raising a child as the African society believes is the job of a whole community. It’s therefore still our duty as parents to correct children whenever and wherever

whether our own or not.Morals like being gentle with fellow children, apologising when one does wrong to another and the sieving of words before they speak in public; all that is learned and is consistently talked about until children start living with them as a habit.

Some parents think that their children are going to learn everything from school. No! Teachers can only do so much. However intelligent your child is, if not trained to be decent and respect, then they

are going to be really challenged fitting into society. These children whose parents didn’t bother much about teaching good manners are the types of people struggling in the workplace with things like teamwork and good relationships with workmates. They are inconsiderate, gossips, selfish, poor leaders—all the uneviable traits.

Insisting and demanding that your child stays in the right moral lane saves them from a future full of self-made trouble.

mama sandy

I

was honoured to be a guest speaker at a famous school in Kampala last weekend. I met very beautiful and intelligent young girls (between 13 and 19 years), who felt comfortable to open up to me. We interacted deeper than I expected and before I knew it I was an emotional wreck but it felt like my two girls were right before me with challenges such as these.

Long story short, a lot was said and I definitely can’t express it all here but I will tackle a few of the things that were really my concern one at a time.I am also aware that some choose to ignore the signals that their children may be passing on as a way of living in denial while others are just locked up in a mentality that “they are still young; it’s nothing to worry about”.

Many among today’s generation

Wakeup call

stand on the motto, “Live your life to the fullest and try everything while you’re young, beautiful and healthy.” As a result, many young girls try everything and lesbianism is no exception. Even women who have a heterosexual relationship sometimes show interest in lesbian sex. Why does it happen? Unlike men, we women aren’t the creatures of habit and we can’t stand sexual monogamy.

We need various emotions, adventures and intrigues. Often young ladies say that one-time experiment with lesbian sex isn’t a sign of lesbianism, but just a thrilling experience. The statistics show that such experiments usually alter women’s views on life and lead to homosexuality. Another category of ladies justify this act as an inborn inclination. I have always thought

that lesbianism is the result of improper upbringing. But it turns out that I was mistaken, because much depends on hormones.

Such deviation from a physiological norm means that women with high testosterone levels assume mostly masculine traits of character. These ladies find it difficult to maintain heterosexual relationships with men since physiologically they are more interested in women.

Girls who choose lesbianism due to physiological deviations have fewer chances to bid farewell to this problem with ease than those whose inclination to lesbianism is triggered by various psychological issues.

Lesbianism can be triggered by some kind of emotional or sexual abuse, leave deep scars in the subconscious mind of young ladies and if they don’t receive help from

parents or psychologists, they have trouble overcoming the fear of men.

Over the years, deep-seated fears, wounds and inner conflicts can only intensify the problem and give birth to an unbelievably intense disgust and hatred towards men.

We can sit back and make this none of our business or take this as a wakeup call and offer all the help we can to these victims who by the way are seeking where to belong and with whom. As a parent I am going to take every measure and moment to help my children discover who they really are rather than let them wander into acts that are only reaping them of the morals we have worked hard to attain. I leave this assignment to every parent out there.

- Musimentas@gmail.com

18 MATOOKE REPUBLIC / Thursday August 18- 24 2016

Business

Money I Trade I Executives

No forms to fill, no security;

MTN’s MoKash loan

Last week MTN Uganda launched MoKash, a micro-loans and savings product. The product which is offered in partnership with Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA), allows customers to save and borrow money through their phone while earning interest on savings. Customers can activate the service by dialing *165*5#. Loan amounts start at Shs3,000 with a maximum of Shs1m. We spoke to Phrase Lubega, General Manager MTN Financial Services, about the new product.

BY edward ssekalo

W

Selling 3,370 4,838 3,826 33.5 925

briefing

Are you not worried that Ugandan borrowers tend to default a lot?

The model used in determining the loan limit is based on the customers past and present utilisation of MTN services and enables us to do responsible lending in predicting their future behavior.

So how does the savings part work?

Customers can save up to any amount.

Shs50 is the minimum amount and customers can choose to schedule savings to happen automatically, say daily, weekly or monthly. The money gets transferred from their Mobile Money account. Interest rates on savings vary from 2% to 5%.

What are the loan repayment periods like?

The MoKash loan is payable within 30 days. However, you can repay the loan before the due date and borrow again.

You can also pay back your loan in in-

Currency Buying USD 3,350 GBP 4,768 EUR 3,754 KSH 32.9 DHM 897

after the additional 30 days, their loan limit will be reduced which will affect their future borrowing capability. They however will not incur a further facilitation fee.

hy should one join MoKash?

Convenience. You can transact from anywhere at any time.

There is no need to sign any documents to open up and transact with a MoKash account. The interest rates are competitive, there is no collateral required, no forms to fill, no queues to join.

Who is eligible for a MoKash loan?

In order to qualify for a loan a customer needs to have been an MTN Mobile Money subscriber for a minimum of six months, save on MoKash and actively use other MTN services such as voice, Mobile Internet and MTN Mobile Money.

FOREX RATES

What transaction charges should customers expect?

Unlike traditional banking, with MoKash no minimum is balance required. There are no ledger fees and no transactional charges while moving money between MoKash and MTN Mobile Money.

How are loan repayments handled?

If a customer has funds in their MoKash savings account or their Mobile Money account, then the loan is automatically repaid from these accounts.

stallments within the 30-day period.

If you pay the loan in less than 30 days you increase chances to grow your MoKash loan limit.

What happens if a customer fails to pay?

If a customer doesn’t pay their loan obligation in 30 days they have an opportunity to extend their loan for an extra 30 days with a facilitation fee of 9% on the balance of the principal. If they are still unable to pay their loan

How is a borrower’s loan limit determined?

The loan limit is determined by the customer’s utilisation of services like MTN Voice, MTN Mobile Money and MTN Data and also by how long the customer has been on the MTN network, their average MoKash savings balance and loan performance.

EADB scheme to train cancer specialists “The East African Development Bank Medical Training and Fellowships Programme, managed by the British Council in partnership with the Royal College of Physicians (London), intends to train 600 East African physicians over a period of four years. The focus will be on early detection, research and treatment of cancer and neurological disorders in areas where access to qualified professionals remains a challenge.”

Ms Vivienne Yeda, Director General, EADB

STRIVE MASIYIWA

Buying and selling businesses, is business A

few months ago, Liquid Telecom, one of our businesses, bought a South African telecoms company called Neotel Communications, for about $450m. I’ve decided to use this acquisition as a case study to share some tips on the subject of buying and selling businesses.

First of all, some background to the Liquid/ Neotel transaction: Liquid Telecom is a company I set up from scratch in about 2000. It was one of the first businesses I launched when I left my homeland Zimbabwe, and began to live in South Africa.

Initially, our business operated from Mauritius and London. It was my first time to set up an office in a European country, when the idea of Africans setting up businesses in Europe or outside Africa was quite rare. I’m glad this has changed, as it should.

Liquid was a small high tech company with a

“big idea.” That’s all you need sometimes. We also had an amazingly passionate team, who were highly skilled and confident.

Within a few short years, the company became highly respected in a new area of telecoms in which it was almost a pioneer.

It was also a “B2B” company, meaning that it sold services to other telecoms players, and not direct to consumers.

Liquid initially focused on moving international voice traffic for telecoms operators in some 70 countries. We did this using satellite technology, and we developed earth station facilities in Europe and throughout Africa. We even had an earth station facility in Norway.

Even when you’re enjoying success in any business, you must always stay on the lookout for disruptive changes that could either threaten your business or create new opportunities.

In the case of Liquid, the growth in telecoms

voice traffic was slowing down, but we saw that movement of data traffic to support the Internet was going to be explosive. Most importantly, we saw it long before most of our peers. We quickly moved our focus into developing fibre optic networks.

After the Neotel acquisition is completed, we’ll have more than 50,000 km of fibre optic networks across southern, central, and eastern Africa. This is the largest such network on the African continent.

We were not the only ones to see this new landscape, but different players, new and old, saw things in different ways. Some companies built undersea cables, others became Internet Service Providers, and so on.

Our own business grew quickly, and through effective management and judicious use of our resources, it soon emerged as the key player in its sector of the industry.

Making the business bigger required a combination of setting up and building businesses from scratch, but we also made acquisitions

in some markets. The Neotel transaction is just the latest in a long list of acquisitions that we’ve done to build the business. We’ve also bought businesses for Liquid in Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Neotel was owned by Tata Communications, a subsidiary of the giant Indian global conglomerate, Tata.

In this series, I’ll share with you some of the principles and processes that we use in deciding when and why we buy businesses, and how to buy a business. There’s also the challenge of integrating and transforming a business that you buy.

Sometimes we also sell businesses, and we do this quite often: “Buying and selling businesses, is also business. To be continued. . .

Strive Masiyiwais a London-based Zimbabwean businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder and chairman of international telecommunications group Econet Wireless.

Thursday August 18-24, 2016, MATOOKE REPUBLIC 19

Work I Innovation I Enterprise

Business

biz on a budget

Mworozi started his events business

with only 30 chairs William Kasoba caught up with him at his shop located in Kyaliwajjala trading centre.

B

orn to poor peasants in Kabale, 25-year-old Frank Mworozi knew early on that his prospects of studying all the way to university were slim. So after his O’ Levels, he turned to a life of farming; growing cabbages and cornflower that he sold to the nearby markets of Kabale town.

Nevertheless, after saving some money, in 2009 his parents advised him to join an institution to pursue any course of his choice. He joined African College of Commerce where he majored in Solar and Electrical Installations, attaining an advanced certificate in the field.

“

“With over 1,000 chairs, my business is now worth about Shs20m.”

When an aunt in Kampala advised him to try for jobs in the city in 2013, Mworozi obliged, but knew he wasn’t coming to Kampala only to look for a job—his aim was to start his own business using money he had saved up. On the encouragement of friends, Mworozi ventured into events; supplying items like tents, tables and chairs for any kind of function. And

having started off with only 30 chairs, Mworozi now boasts more than 1,000 chairs in the space of just three years.

How did you get into the events business?

I met my friends in Kampala doing this kind of business and they encouraged me to venture in the same.

Tell us how you started.

It was 2014. I began with 30 chairs, five tables, one tent and five table clothes which I used to keep in my single room I was renting. Right now I have 1020 chairs, 30 tables, 15 tents and seven serving wooden tables.

How much did these items cost you?

Since I had inadequate capital, I opted for second hand commodities but not that much worn out because when a customer is to hire your items he/she looks at their quality. Roughly I spent like 2.5m to get them. The business keeps on expanding though and it’s now approximately worth Shs20m.

business. In fact poor quality items can scare away clients.

Do you do all this work alone? What kind of staff do you need?

Actually I got four more guys to help me out, two go in the field to monitor safety of the items during the events and the other two help in the cleaning of the items after they have been used.

Three years in the business what are the challenges you have faced?

My main risk is severe damage and in some cases theft mainly of tables and chairs. Also, some clients are careless and stubborn; they tend not to return all the items as you delivered to them.

Another challenge is transportation of the items; many clients want me to transport the items to their premises.

Did you need to register your business before you started?

No… I did not register officially however I pay fees to the local council.

What the charges like if someone wants to hire your items?

In this kind of business, we have no specific charges; it’s all about negotiation. It depends on the number of people a client has invited to his/her event. The only thing that is fixed is the cost of each chair. Here I charge Shs500 per seat.

What must one do to make this kind of business a success?

First is constant marketing of your business to make people aware that you also exist. Stocking quality items is also very important in this kind of

How much do you earn on average?

It depends on the number of events I have to handle but at worst I earn about 500k a week since people organise events almost every day and people in such business are few in this area.

GURU8 is a Technology website showcasing the latest news, event updates, reviews and rumours in the Tech world while providing a platform for everyone to interact as well as gain information in reference to technology. www.guru8.net

Compound designer for exquisite landscaping and gardening.

Call 0777913860

20 MATOOKE REPUBLIC / Thursday August 18-24, 2016

Working

Careers I Jobs I Networks

career guide How to go down a career path that’s outside your specialty

I

f you find yourself wondering why you majored in psychology, history, or biology, when the truth is, none of those are fields you care to pursue, you’re in good company. The nagging feeling that you’re not suited for what you just spent three or more years studying doesn’t often go away—it just continues to grow with time. You can’t ignore it.

Maybe you graduated with a degree in forestry, yet have no desire to enter the field.

You spend years studying one thing, only to realize that you don’t want to go in that direction. Instead of letting your skills go to waste there a few ways to navigate the job search based on what knowledge and skills you’ve already got, no matter what you majored in and what you’d like to do instead.

Figure out what matters most Have you ever really thought about what kind of environment invigorates you most? It’s critical to identify why you’re unhappy with your current career path to figure out next steps. Whether it’s due to culture fit, day-to-day tasks, or work-life balance, understanding what you need to be happy at work will make it much easier to figure out which positions and workplaces are best for you.

Ask for an in-house switch When you want a significantly

different experience at work, you might think you need to seek out a new company. But many times, companies are happy to let you explore a new role if it means they get to retain a valued employee.

Talk to your manager (and HR department) about your interest in pursuing something else within the organisation, and explain why you think you’d be great at it. If you can effectively make your case, there’s a good chance you’ll be considered for a position outside the team you started out with, or the one best aligned to your academic credentials.

Use your past to sell you Diversity in the workplace is critical—and not just when it comes to gender, race or age.

Having people with different backgrounds, skills, and experience guarantees that a team will be able to approach problems from different angles and come up with unique solutions. So when you’re looking for a position in a new field, make sure to use your work history as a selling point.

Whatever you’re bringing to the table, make sure to bring up some examples of how your skills are an asset for the position you’re after. When you’re competing against dozens of other applicants, it’s a surefire way to stand out and gain an edge of the other candidates.

I WANT to be a CEO Pamela Adongo is the Chief Marketing Officer at NBS Television.

on the job

W

hen did you join the employed ranks?

That was way back in 2003; I was a field interviewer and I would move around Uganda with questionnaires collecting information.

How much were you earning?

I earned Shs6,000 per day, working with Steadman Group (now Ipsos).

How did you start rising through the ranks?

When I left Steadman, I picked interest in marketing and I have never looked back!

After graduation, I got a job with Stanhope Finance as a marketing assistant, then I joined The Business Week as a sales executive and was elevated to sales manager after six months of work.

Two years later, I came across an advert for a deputy sales manager at New Vision, I applied and after the first interview, I didn’t think I would get the job because I was the youngest interviewee and probably the least experienced. But to my surprise, I was called for the second, third and finally given an appointment letter.

This is where I worked my way up the ranks under the supervision of what I usually refer to as one of the best managers/ mentors, Mr. Tony Glencross (currently MD Daily Monitor). After six months, I was made a sales manager of Vision Group after bringing back to life a dying department.

Two and half years later, I was moved to marketing as Marketing Manager, Electronic Media. I oversaw and supervised the birth of electronic media portfolio market. From then on, I have been head-hunted; I went to Victoria University before joining Fireworks Advertising and now NBS TV.

What are the qualities that made this prolific rise possible?

I have always been a focused girl; I have drawn very serious encouragement from my

mother, my step-father and later my father Mr. Benson Ogwang, who encourage me at every stage of my life.

My father taught me to stand up for what I believe in, not to let life’s challenges stop me from dreaming. I have a to-do list that helps me keep track of what is expected of me and my department every day. I was appointed the Chief Marketing Officer at NBS Television on June 1.

What have been the greatest challenges you’ve encountered?

Some of my supervisors misunderstand my ability to speak up for “lugezigezi,” so unfair decisions have in some cases resulted out of this. I also have come to accept that work politics will always exist at every work place; so you find yourself dealing with people’s egos as opposed to real work issues!

What are your future career plans?

I want to be a CEO before I either run my own company, while being appointed as board member of two to three companies

or a minister in government.

Who do you look up to in the career world?

Globally; Oprah Winfrey and Condoleezza Rice. In Uganda; Allen Kagina.

What motivates you in your work?

When I am faced with new work challenges on a daily, I get motivated.

What books do you read?

All relevant books, I rarely read novels these days. I make it a point to buy a book every month; right now I am reading The End of the Free Market by Ian Bremer.

Tell us about yourself.

I will make 36 in October (Oh my God!), I have a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and a Diploma in Marketing (CIM UK). I grew up in Kampala, we lived in Rubaga, Nakasero, Kololo and finally Naguru, before moving to my house. I am a second born to my mother and a last born to my father. I have a daughter and I am in a relationship.

jobs Officer Trep Organisation: KCCA Deadline: August 31 2016 For more info visit: www.kcca.go.ug or Email: info@kcca.go.ug Data Collector Organisation: KCCA Deadline: August 31 2016 For more info visit: www.kcca.go.ug or Email: info@kcca.go.ug Head of finance Organisation: Community Health Alliance Uganda Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce, Business Administration, Business Studies or Finance and Accounting with Five years’ experience Deadline: August 26 2016 For detailed job description visit: www.chau. co.ug Program Specialist Organisation: Community Health Alliance Uganda Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Community Psychology, Nursing, Medicine, Public Health and Reproductive Health with Four years’

experience Deadline: August 26 2016 For detailed job description visit: www.chau. co.ug Adolescent Health Officer Organisation: Community Health Alliance Uganda Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Development Studies, , Nursing, Medicine, Public Health and Social Sciences with Three years’ experience Deadline: August 26 2016 For detailed job description visit: www.chau. co.ug Program Specialist and Program Analyst Organisation: Leader in Reproductive Health, Population and Development Deadline: August 26 2016 For detailed job description visit: http:// uganda.unfpa.org or Email vacancyug@googlegroups.com National Field Manager Organisation: Belgian Development Agency Qualification: Degree in Social Science, Education or related fields with Six years’ experience Deadline: September 2 2016 Address: BTC-Lower Kololo terrace plot 1B

Internal Auditor Organisation: Spear Motors Limited Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce or Business Administration with Five years’ experience Deadline: August 26 2016 Email: recruitment@spearmotors.co.ug Program Officer Organisation: Protecting Families against HIV/ AIDS Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine and Surgery, Nursing, Public Health or related fields with Five years’ experience Deadline: August 24 2016 Address: Plot 71 Luthui Avenue Bugolobi, P.O Box 25769 Kampala, Uganda Chief Civil Engineer Organisation: Uganda Railways Corporation Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering or related fields with Five years’ experience Deadline: August 24 2016 For more detailed job description visit: www. urc.go.ug Principal Civil Engineer

Chief Civil Engineer Organisation: Uganda Railways Corporation Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering or related fields with Five years’ experience Deadline: August 24 2016 For more detailed job description visit: www. urc.go.ug Principal Property Management Officer Organisation: Uganda Railways Corporation Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Quantity Surveying, Land Economics, Land Management, Building Economics, Estate Management or related fields with Five years’ experience Deadline: August 24 2016 For more detailed job description visit: www. urc.go.ug Senior Concession Officer Organisation: Uganda Railways Corporation Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Occupational Health and Safety or related fields with Five years’ experience Deadline: August 24 2016 For more detailed job description visit: www. urc.go.ug

Thursday August 18-24, 2016 MATOOKE REPUBLIC 21

Digs I Gardening I Improvement

SET UP YOUR HOUSE TO

cope with the cold

By Irene M. Namarah

T

he rainy season is here again and what that means is that the nights could get that much colder. When that happens your house could become a little less comfortable but aside from dressing in heavy clothing and drinking cup after cup of tea, you might want to consider alternatives to help keep your house warmer.

Invest in heavy curtains Heavy/thick curtains keep heat locked in, so these should be a good start if you want your house to get warmer. Do not, however, make the common mistake of keeping the curtains closed. Open them during the day to let as much sun as possible in and close them at night to prevent the heat from escaping.

Use incandescent lights Incandescent (regular) lights or bulbs may not ordinarily be recommended for use because they are so energy-inefficient, but if you want to keep your house warmer this season then you might consider using incandescent lights more.

An average incandescent bulb releases up to 95% of its energy as heat rather than light which makes it an extremely

efficient source of heat. You can save the LED energy bulbs for the warm season.

Invest in thick rugs Thick rugs/woolen carpets help in preventing heat loss through the floor.

Not only do they make your house look beautiful and arty, they’re also warmer to the touch compared to tiles or cement floors. Transform your house space into a padded house ready to embrace you with warmth.

Use large sofas When it comes to furnishing your cold house, use large sofas as they help in trapping heat during the day and expel it during the night. You could also throw in large cushions and pillows to increase the levels of heat.

Seal them off If you’re living in a very old house, you could be having some leaks or cracks.

Make certain that you find them and seal them off as it will not only save your house from falling down on you, it will also prevent heat from escaping.

Close up Always close all doors and windows at night. Also keep all rooms closed so as to

trap the heat from inside. Alternatively, you could seal off doors to chilly less frequently used rooms Use smaller rooms Consider using small rooms for most of the time you spend at home. If say your house is very big and your sitting room very large, you could set up a daily sitting area in one of the smaller spare rooms.

Let sunlight in Remove all obstacles that prevent sun light from blazing in. Things like window plants and trees absorb heat from the sun leaving your house vulnerable to cold.

Take up cooking Take up cooking as a hobby. Fit foil behind ovens, stoves or any direct source of heat to reflect heat back in the room.

landscaping AND GARDENING

Lighting your compound

BY ANNET NASSOLO

I

t’s a beautiful Wednesday morning and I am seated here next to a plant with a very sweet scent; it’s called yesterday today and tomorrow. Its white and purple flowers are breathtaking too… anyway back to our topic for today.

There are so many ways you can play around with lights in your compound. Lights on the sides of your foot path will definitely give it more life. You can put lights in your

flower garden, these can be made in such a way that they are reflecting upwards, making your flowers stand out in the dark.

You can also change the color of your light during the various seasons of the year for example red during Christmas season. Remember there are plants like night blooming Jasmine which only flower at night, make use of garden lights to make such plants stand out at night.

Until next week I remain yours truly.... nneta2001@yahoo.com

Property

22 MATOOKE REPUBLIC / Thursday August 18-24 2016

Sport

Play I Watch I Support

BETTING BETTING TIPS TIPS

Bruno Birakwate

How newly promoted EPL clubs will fare

with

Thursday August 18, 2016 EUROPE: Europa League – Qualification (Selected matches) 17:00

FC Astana (Kaz)-BATE (Blr)

GG

19:30

Krasnodar (Rus) - Partizani (Alb)

1

20:00

Maccabi Tel Aviv (Isr) Hajduk Split (Cro)

Over 2.5

20:00

Fenerbahce (Tur) - Grasshoppers (Sui)

1

23:00

Vojvodina (Srb) - AZ Alkmaar (Ned)

Over 2.5

od

Astra (Rou) - West Ham (Eng)

Over 2.5

od

Sassuolo (Ita) - FK Crvenazvezda (Srb)

1

od

Arouca (Por) - Olympiakos Piraeus (Gre)

X1

Friday August 19, 2016 ENGLAND: Premier League 22:00

Manchester United- Southampton

1

FRANCE: Ligue 1 21:45

Lyon-Caen

1

NETHERLANDS: Eredivisie 21:00

Excelsior-Den Haag

Over 2.5

SPAIN: LaLiga 21:45

Malaga-Osasuna

1X

23:00

Dep. La Coruna-Eibar

GG

Saturday August 20, 2016 FRANCE: Ligue 1 18:00

Nantes-Monaco

2X

21:00

Angers-Nice

2X

21:00

Lille-Dijon

1

21:00

Lorient-Bastia

GG

21:00

Rennes-Nancy

GG

21:00

Toulouse-Bordeaux

Over 2.5

NETHERLANDS: Eredivisie 19:30

Roda-Vitesse

Over 2.5

20:45

Ajax-Willem II

1

20:45

Zwolle-PSV

2

21:45

Nijmegen-Heerenveen

GG

SPAIN: LaLiga 19:15

Barcelona-Betis

1

21:15

Granada CF-Villarreal

X2

23:15

Sevilla-Espanyol

1

ENGLAND: Premier League

Having fruitfully settled the 46-match marathon that is the English Championship, Burnley, Hull City and Middleborough will all be anxious to avoid an instant return to the second tier, writes William Kasoba.

T

he three promoted clubs are widely tipped for relegation at the start of any Premier League campaign, and things are no different this year. While that is entirely understandable, it is also worth remembering that in the last five seasons only five newcomers to the top flight have fallen through the trapdoor at the first time. There is hope, then, for Burnley, Hull and Middlesborough as they embark upon the test of retaining their place in the Premier League over the next ten months.

Burnley Burnely were crowned championship winners in May following relegation in 2015 and will be aiming to secure a second consecutive campaign of top-tier football for the first time since the mid1970s. Their coach Sean Dyche has largely kept faith with the group of players that got his side up in the first place. Burnley’s transfer business has been minimal, and that might come back to haunt a team that always appears too good for the Championship but not quite good enough for the Premiership. A return straight back down is very unlike, then.

Middlesborough After seven years plodding in the Championship, everything gets brighter again for Boro. The club has been here before,

Super Saturday (Complete ticket for large stake)

and much of what is going to happen will be familiar, so expect Aitor Karanka’s side to surprise. Nine new faces have been added to his squad, with Alvaro Negredo and Victor Valdes the most eye-catching arrivals, but Viktor Fischer, Marten de Roon and Antonio Barragan are also gifted additions at the Riverside Stadium. Last season Boro lost just twice at home in the league, which means they have enough to unsettle most visiting sides. Whether they will have enough to compete away from home remains to be seen, but a club with some quality and some pedigree as Boro do should be able to stave off relegation.

Hull City Play-off winners Hull City had to contest 49 games before sealing their place in the Premier League, but their return has been nothing but chaotic. Manager Steve Bruce stood down as manager in July after growing frustrated with the club’s inactivity in the transfer market, with 18 year old goalkeeper Will Mannion still the only signing made despite the departure of Mohamed Diame, Ryan Taylor and Sone Aluko. Their situation is compounded by an injury crisis that has claimed several first teamers. Bruce had still not been replaced by the time new season kicked off and the general atmosphere of restlessness does not bode well for Hull’s survival hopes.

Super Sunday (Complete ticket for large stake)

19:15

Barcelona -Betis

1

00:30

Barcelona SC - FuerzaAmarilla

1

19:30

Dyn. Kiev - Volyn Lutsk

1

23:15

1

20:45

Ajax - Willem II

1

Atlético Madrid - DeportivoAlavés

21:45

PSG - Metz

1

15:00

AC Oulu – GrIFK

1

14:00

Muang Thong Utd - PattayaUtd

1

21:15

Real Sociedad - Real Madrid

2

Plzen - Zlin

1

22:15

Benfica - VitóriaSetúbal

1

14:30

Tampines Rovers - Ceres

1

14:30

Stoke City-Manchester City

X2

17:00

Burnley-Liverpool

2

17:00

Swansea-Hull City

1

17:00

Tottenham-Crystal Palace

1

17:00

Watford-Chelsea

GG

17:00

West Brom-Everton

X2

19:30

19:30

Leicester-Arsenal

GG

Warning! Betting involves high psychological and financial risk. Matooke Republic will not take any responsibility for any loss or damage as a consequence of decisions based on information, betting tips or other links provided in this publication. You are warned to act exclusively at your own discretion and risk.

Wednesday August 18-24, 2016, MATOOKE REPUBLIC

Opinions I News I Trivia

Sport

The other face of the Olympics edward ssekalo

Club ambassadors great, but it will take more than pretty faces

S

BY WILLIAM KASOBA

W

hen one talks about the Olympics, the most obvious thing that comes to the mind is sports events and maybe crumbling records. But there have been many moments in Rio that have nothing to do with smashing records yet they are still intriguing in their own right.

The gold medalist coached by his grandmother South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk won this year’s 400 meter gold medal in Brazil after putting a stunning world record of 43.03 seconds. Surprisingly after his sensational win he thanked his 74 year old coach, who is also his grandmotherAnna Botha. Van Niekerk started as a sprinter and long jumper, but Botha switched him to 200m and 400m to protect him against persistent injuries. In 2013, Van Niekerk’s best

time over the one-lap sprint was 45.09 seconds and in 2015 World Championships won his first major medal in 43.48.

Chinese diver proposes at medal ceremony China’s He Zi had just received her silver medal for the 3 meter springboard diving event when her boyfriend of six years, Qin Kai, got down on one knee and proposed. Zi looked a little surprised, but said yes to her fellow diver. A lesbian couple from the Brazil rugby team also matched the Chinese act after Marjorie Enya proposed to her partner Isadora Cerullo.

Bahamas’ Miller dives over line to win 400m gold What do you do when you sense the race is too close and you might just lose out? You do something unusual. Shaunae Miller from Bahamas chose to dive over the line to beat America’s Allyson Felix and win gold in the women’s 400m final, winning the race by just 0.07 seconds. After flying across the line in a personal best time of 49.44 seconds, the 22 year old lay prone on the track, surprised and exhausted as she waited for the score board to confirm she had clinched her first major title.

The man with more medals than some nations in Rio USA’s Michael Phelps has now won more medals than any other Olympian after winning gold in the 4x100-meter medley relay in his final race in Rio. The swimmer now has 23 career gold medals and 38 medals in total. But let’s pretend Phelps is a country, he has more career medals than most countries that have competed in the Olympics since the dawn of the modern games in 1896. Phelps is in a tie with South Africa, ahead of Egypt, India, Argentina, Mexico, and of course Uganda.

Exciting dress code in women beach volley ball After the change in the rules on dress before the London 2012 Olympics, nations are now allowed to dress as is best suited to their culture. In this year’s women’s beach volleyball, fans were amazed to witness competitors of the Egyptian women team dressed in match tops and leggings with the hijab, in sharp contrast to the skimpy attire, such as bikinis, that fans expect to see ladies in this sport wearing.

Singapore’s Joseph schools his idol in swimming On Saturday Joseph Schooling from Singapore defeated Michael Phelps- the greatest Olympian in history in the final of the men’s 100m butterfly. But what amused everyone was a photo of the 13 year old Joseph first meeting his idol Phelps eight years ago.

US team swimmers robbed at gun point Not everyone was having it all good in Rio however, as US Olympic swimmers were robbed at gun point early on Sunday morning. “The guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, ‘Get down’,“ US swimmer Lochte narrated. The thugs then relieved them of all their belongings before they disappeared.

C Villa (Eng. Ben Misagga more like) are on a roll. In the space of a week they have recruited two new club ambassadors who are more interesting to look at than the club’s trophy cabinet, and certainly SC Villa’s bank account. To be fair, even if the SC Villa trophy cabinet had been stuffed with trophies (it hasn’t for the last decade) and their bank account flush with cash, their ambassadors, Leila Kayondo and Irene Ntale would still have been a great alternative to watch on matchdays. Perhaps they would be the only alternative to watch even, considering the low-grade football SC Villa serves these days.

Recruiting club ambassadors appears to be the thing en vogue for the big names in the Uganda Premier League.

Express signed up Bobi Wine not too long ago. KCCA hooked Big Eye. It can only be a good thing when these sorts of things start to happen, because they confirm that club chairmen in Uganda might finally be willing to embrace 21st century practices—as far as the marketing and brand building aspects go at least.

There is, however, still lots of work required in sorting out the flaws that keep fans away from stadia. The league kicks off again this weekend and, having been lucky or unlucky to experience a local league game matchday a few times I can tell you it is the most undiluted blend of anarchy you will find in sport anywhere in this country.

After bingeing on the English Premier league for close to 20 years now, there are lots of things that we would want to take for granted; things like tickets printed well in advance and having them easily accessible at conve-

nient pickup points or even online. But let’s imagine that is too much to ask and move on to things that can, should, in deed must, be done to get fans back. Principal among these is the integrity of the league. Ugandan fans gave up on local club football when it became clear teams could win games based not on how well they played on the field but rather how well their owners or league administrators played in the boardroom.

That’s how we ended up with 22-0 scorelines many years back.

Sadly, only two seasons ago, there was an almost blatant attempt to “manufacture” a league title for SC Villa. Last season, KCCA’s Sam Ssimbwa got suspended for reasons that related to acts of questionable integrity. Rules get changed midway through competitions, referees have camps, as if our league were a permanent political contest. No Ugandan fan wants to invest their money in a farce; they can invest it in the guarantee of heartache or tragicomedy—depends on their side, that Arsenal readily provides.

Integrity is just the most important of the things that our game lacks by the way; it is not the only thing. Unfortunately, integrity is the hardest malaise to fix, because it requires firm institutions, and lots of good men. The latter are in short supply in the Ugandan game.

Next week, I will introduce two more key aspects in need of immediate attention, and you will appreciate why we have far more urgent needs to get our club football up again, than pretty ambassadors. essekalo@matookerepublic.com

24 MATOOKE REPUBLIC / Thursday August 18-24, 2016

FEATURE

OLYMPICS

How newly promoted EPL clubs will fare P.22...

Trivia from on-going games in Brazil ... P.23

Sport MATOOKE REPUBLIC

THE LEAGUE IS BACK

The Uganda Premier League season kicks off Friday as Onduparaka locks horns with Soana in Arua

BY EDWARD KALEMA

A

zam Uganda Premier League action kicks off again this weekend, but the 2016/17 campaign is not one where the queue for potential challengers is extraordinarily long. Perhaps the best test of the validity of each of the major clubs’ title prospects should start—and end—with their budgets. In the best possible illustration of how much ground the two biggest names in local football, SC Villa and Express FC, have lost on their rivals, Express has a budget 60 times smaller than that of KCCA FC, and almost 25 times that of Vipers SC. While KCCA announced a Shs6 billion budget, Express’ own is Shs110 million, which is the smallest of the traditional giants in the local game.

Vipers’ is Shs2.4 billion. That the two clubs that have shared the last two Ugandan league titles have not just the biggest budgets but are best organised off the field makes things ominous..

KCCA the favourites KCCA overcame a stuttering end as well as the suspension of assistant coach Sam Ssimbwa last season as Mike Mutebi claimed his first ever league crown and the club’s second in three years, but even in a season where Vipers lost talisman Farouk Miya to Standard Liege in January, the city lads never quite capitalised and it is only natural to expect that Vipers, the

next best resourced club in terms of playing staff and finances, will push them hardest.

KCCA are also staring at the possibility of challenging in the new campaign without the services of Joseph Ochaya, voted Ugandan Footballer of the Year last Friday but tipped for a move abroad. Nonetheless, there have been a number of new arrivals to ensure the champions remain competitive. Brian Majwega rejoins along with Isaac Kirabira and Isaac Muleme, as Vincent Kayizzi and Geoffrey Serunkuma add the experience that will be most critical for the KCCA’s upcoming African Champions’ League challenge.

What works most in their favour however is the fact that two of the other big names; Villa and Vipers, start the season with new coaches in Deo Serwadda and Abdallah Mubiru. Express on the other hand have in recent years forged a team whose sum is greater than its parts but expect no miracles.

Watch out for Onduparaka If you are looking for colour from this year’s league, then the team to follow should be Onduparaka. The team from Arua lit up Kampala when it arrived for the Uganda Cup final in May and even after losing a few of their players, has lost none of its passion. Visits to the Green Light stadium are guaranteed to be a venture without reward for most of the teams in the league.

BETTING TIPS: YOU CAN BET ON US... P.22 EDWARD SSEKALO ... P.23 Published by Matooke Republic Media Ltd. P.O. Box 11393, Kampala Uganda. Plot 1835 Block 217, Ntinda.Tel: 0392 000124 info@matookerepublic.com.