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Bryan White faces court over failure to pay debt

By
Badru Kasadah
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Brian Kirumira aka Bryan White

Upcoming musician Simon Mukasa aka Lucky Costa has threatened to drag socialite Brian Kirumira aka Bryan White and DJ Michael to court for failing to pay for his services.

In a notice with an intention to sue, Mukasa through Muwada and Company Advocates indicates that he was hired by the duo to perform at their function but that they failed to pay for his services as earlier agreed. The artiste now wants the self-styled millionaire to pay him Shs20 million as compensation or the matter be taken to court.

‘On or around 9 February, 2018, our client and you (Brian Kirumira alias White) at Front Page Zaana Entebbe met and agreed to purchase the copyright of his publication song titled Heroe-Basiima Bagenzi and his physical performance of the same song. It was agreed that you Kirumira Brian aka Bryan White was to pay Shs10, 000,000 for the song, and in addition you made several other promises like buying him land and constructing him a house as a gesture of application,’ reads part of the notice by Muwada and Co. to Brian White and DJ Michael.

The notice adds: ‘However, efforts to secure payment of the agreed Shs10, 000,000 are all in vain “yet our client’s song has been played on several Bryan White Foundation functions and at some you required and secured physical performance of the song by our client”.

‘You have engaged our client to perform the same song on various Bryan White programs including performances at Auto Spa, Munyonyo and Kakyeeka stadium, Mbarara at the launch of the Bryan White Foundation,’ the law firm further charges.

‘Pay us Sh20m as compensation in a lieu of image damage/slander caused on our client’s name by media’, the lawyers tersely assert.

 

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World marks International Day of Forests

By
Our Reporter
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A section of Mabira Forest in Uganda

The international community today celebrates the International Day of Forests with a call on citizens to make their cities greener, healthier and happier to live in.

 

To be celebrated under the theme, ‘Forests and Sustainable Cities’, this year’s event will provide a platform to increase awareness on the role of forests in storing carbon, which helps mitigate the impacts of climate change in urban areas. Last year’s theme was Forests and Energy.

“By 2050, six billion people or 70 percent of the global population is expected to live in urban areas. Rapid urbanization does not need to result in polluted urban sprawl. Trees and urban forests can make our cities greener and healthier places to live,” the UN says.

By 2035 about half of Africa’s population will be living in urban areas. Officials say this population trend presents considerable demands for employment, services and infrastructure, of which forest resources will play a key role.

The International Day of Forests was established on March 21, 2012 by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2012 and each year, various events celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests, and trees outside forests, for the benefit of current and future generations.

Key messages this year include:

  • Forests and trees store carbon, which helps mitigate the impacts of climate change in and around urban areas.
  • Trees also improve the local climate, helping to save energy used for heating by 20-50 percent.
  • Strategic placement of trees in urban areas can cool the air by up to 8 degrees Celsius, reducing air conditioning needs by 30 percent.
  • Urban trees are excellent air filters, removing harmful pollutants in the air and fine particulates.
  • Trees reduce noise pollution, as they shield homes from nearby roads and industrial areas.
  • Local populations use the fruits, nuts, leaves and insects found in urban trees to produce food and medicines for use in the home, or as a source of income.
  • Wood fuel sourced from urban trees and planted forests on the outskirts of cities provides renewable energy for cooking and heating, which reduces pressures on natural forests and our reliance on fossil fuels.
  • Forests in and around urban areas help to filter and regulate water, contributing to high-quality freshwater supplies for hundreds of millions of people. Forests also protect watersheds and prevent flooding as they store water in their branches and soil.
  • Well-managed forests and trees in and around cities provide habitats, food and protection for many plants and animals, helping to maintain and increase biodiversity.
  • Forests in cities and surrounding areas generate tourism, create tens of thousands of jobs and encourage city beautification schemes, building dynamic, energetic and prosperous green economies.
  • Urban green spaces, including forests, encourage active and healthy lifestyles, improve mental health, prevent disease, and provide a place for people to socialize.

 

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CAF champions League draws: KCCA seeded in pot 3

By
Our Reporter
-
The CAF Pots

Ugandan CAF Champions League representatives on the continent, KCCA FC, have been placed in Pot 3 alongside fellow debutants Algerian club MC Alger, Horoya of Guinea and Mbabane Swallows from Swaziland.

Members of the KCCA team to CAF

In effect KCCA stands in line to be drawn with some of Africa’s big clubs like the defending champions Wydad Casablanca, eight time record holders Al Ahly of Egypt and Tunisian side Esperance.

The qualified teams were ranked according to their performances in the last five editions of the CAF Interclubs competitions from 2013 to 2017.

For the Total CAF Champions League, the points allotted are winner – 6, runner-up-5, semi-final – 4, quarterfinal – 3, third in group – 2 and fourth in group – 1, multiplied by a co-efficient of 5,4,3,2,1 for the editions 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

The draw will start with Pot 4, with the first ball drawn directly going to Group A. Another draw will be held to determine its position (A1, A2, A3 or A4). The teams in the same pot don’t face each other.

The same procedure will repeated for Pots 3, 2 & 1 to complete the groupings.

The first group stage matches will be played on May 4, 2018.

The winners qualify as the CAF representative at the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, and also earn the right to play against the winners of the 2018 CAF Confederation Cup in the 2019 CAF Super Cup.

The draw will be held today at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Cairo at 8pm Ugandan time.

 

Pot 1:

TP Mazembe (DR Congo)

Al Ahly (Egypt)

Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia)

Wydad (Morocco)

 

Pot 2:

Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)

Zesco (Zambia)

Esperance (Tunisia)

ES Setif (Algeria)

 

Pot 3:

MC Alger (Algeria)

KCCA (Uganda)

Horoya (Guinea)

Mbabane Swallows (Swaziland)

 

Pot 4:

Primero de Agosto (Angola)

Township Rollers (Botswana)

Difaa El Jadidi (Morocco)

AS Port (Togo)

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Kadaga urges donors to fund women entrepreneurial projects

By
George Mangula
-
Speaker Rebecca Kadaga

The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has urged western donors to fund women entrepreneurial projects especially in developing countries.

Kadaga, who is in New York leading the Ugandan delegation for the 62nd Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62) said the Word Bank and other agencies should instruct governments to spend part of donor funds on projects that support women empowerment initiatives.

“If they are talking about supporting women in this world, energizing them, giving them capacity, let them come with specific instructions to our governments that part of this must go to the women,” she said at the a session held under the theme: ‘Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls’.

Kadaga said since budgeting is now programme based, it is better for donors to bias their financing to women projects, adding that women make up a majority of the rural workforce in developing countries like Uganda.

Kadaga also met with Americans of Ugandan descent on the sidelines of the conference and said they should be helped to participate in economic activities back home.

“As a government we need to provide the necessary environment so that they can operate economic activities in both worlds,” she said.

Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York Ambassador Adonia Ayebare said that supporting the Diaspora to invest in Uganda will help the country to benefit from their contributions.

“When we have grassroots movements like this bringing people together about the issues that affect them in the Diaspora…once you have these movements in the coming years, you will have a genuine Diaspora community,” said Ayebare.

The annual two-week session of the Commission brings together representatives of the United Nations, the UN Member States, as well as organizations and advocates from around the world to discuss the status of women. The Commission also assesses progress in implementing the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, an important global policy document on gender equality, and takes up other issues involving the rights and welfare of women and girls.

The session will also address; participation in, and access of women to the media, and information and communications technologies and their impact on, and use as, an instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women.

The session will be focused on making resolutions on how governments can best engender economic empowerment and entrepreneurship of women, agriculture and food security and governance especially on political decision making. Other areas are finance and gender budgeting.

Other Ugandan officials at the session include the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Janat Mukwaya, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Gender, Pius Bigirimana, among other officials.

 

 

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PPP dialogue needed to enhance Arabica coffee value chain – UCDA boss

By
George Mangula
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Roasted Arabica coffee beans

If players are to reap more from the Arabica coffee value chain, there is need to enhance Private Public Partnership (PPP) dialogue, the Managing Director of Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) Dr. Emmanuel Iyamulemye, has said.

“We need to enhance dialogue between the public and private sectors, the academia and development partners to take advantage of the Ugandan Arabica Coffee value chain opportunities,” he said Tuesday in Kampala during a workshop to explore opportunities for development of Uganda’s Arabica coffee value chain.

The workshop was jointly organised by UCDA in partnership with the International Growth Centre.

According to Dr. Iyamulemye, coffee impacts on about 85% of Uganda’s population, and consequently presents a huge rural development opportunity.

Latest figures show that both the volume and value of Uganda’s exports at the international market increased. In terms of volume, Uganda contributed to the global coffee exports market in the month ending January a total of 401,930 -60kg bags.

The exports during this period, which is the fourth month on the coffee calendar, earned the country foreign exchange revenue worth US$43.66m (Shs158b) up from $42.2m (Shs153) earned the previous month.

Dr. Iyamulemye attributed the increase in coffee exports to the new crop and said that more than 500 million seedlings which were planted three-four years ago have started fruiting.

Latest  UCDA report shows that  coffee exported from February last year until January 2018 hit 4.77m bags worth US$549m (Shs1.9tn).There was an  increase of about 2.1 percent from the 4.6m bags exported the previous year.

Robusta comprised 3.75m bags, which fetched the country US$413m (Shs1.5 trn). Arabica fetched the country US$136m (Shs459b) from 1.02m kg bags the country exported.
Estimates for February are tagged at 350,000 60-kg-bags as the main harvesting season in Central region ends.

Government last year launched the Coffee Roadmap, targeting to export 20m bags of coffee per year of by 2025.

On April 13, 2017 President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni launched the Coffee Roadmap, and ordered the coffee stakeholders to ensure that Uganda achieves its coffee production target 20 million bags annually by 2025.

Subsequently, government through the Coffee Lab, identified nine key transformative initiatives that focus on putting Uganda on the path to achieving the target. They hinge on three pillars which will catalyse the transformation of the coffee sector in Uganda namely; Demand and Value Addition, Production and Enablers. These are further broken down into specific initiatives:

  • Building structured demand through country to country deals, especially with China.
  • Branding Ugandan coffee to drive demand and improve value by up to 15%.
  • Supporting local coffee businesses for value addition, including primary processing and a soluble coffee plant.
  • Strengthening farmer organisations and producer cooperatives to enhance commercialisation for smallholder farmers and ensuring broad access to extension, inputs, finance and aggregation.
  • Support joint ventures between middle-class owners of underutilised land and investors to develop coffee production
  • Providing and promoting concessions for coffee production on large underutilised tracts of land.
  • Improving the quality of planting material (seeds and seedlings) through strengthened research and multiplication of improved varieties
  • Improving access to quality inputs by reducing counterfeiting (fertiliser, pesticides, herbicides) from current 40-60%.
  • Developing a coffee finance programme with the Central Bank and Treasury to provide financing to farmer organisations (including on-lending) to smallholders, coffee businesses and investors.

 

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ISO boss implores African intelligence services to share information

By
Geoffery Serugo
-
ISO Director General Col. Kaka Bagyenda

The Director General of Internal Security Organisation (ISO) Col Kaka Bagyenda has implored African states to share information and strengthen bilateral relationships in a bid to contain terrorism.

Addressing heads of intelligence and security services from 12 African states about armed groups and negative forces, Col Kaka said national intelligence services can use internet and modern technology such as satellite phones to share information and knowledge on weapons to track down the emerging terrorist groups.

“Modern technology can be used to enrich the power of old age procedures against terrorist groups on the continent, It is empirical for Nations, Regions and Continents to work together in a bid to contend and control all emerging security threats for safety and peace in the region,” Col Kaka said at the Pearl of Africa Hotel in Kampala.

He lauded the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) for its continued support in ensuring peace on the African continent.

Col. Kaka’s remarks come at a time when African countries face the paradox of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); the Al-Shabaab in Somalia and Kenya and, the Boko Haram in Nigeria that have killed innocent people under the guise of establishing Islamic caliphates.

Meanwhile, Uganda’s Deputy Chief of Defense Forces Lt. Gen. Wilson Mbadi has implored African nations to share intelligence to effectively deal with armed terrorist groups on the continent.

 

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AAU has made tremendous achievements in last 50 years

By
Guest Writer
-
Prof. Adipala Ekwamu

By Prof. Adipala Ekwamu

Since the creation of the Association of African Universities (AAU) in 1967, there has been a rapid increase in the rate of technological advancement which has created profound changes in workforce demands and economic realities.  There has also been a significant increase in the number of universities across the continent calling for pragmatic approaches to foster collaboration across the continent. AAU has responded to these changes and adapted to meet the needs of its members, helped to find solutions to many of these new challenges by providing a platform for research, reflection, Consultation, debate, cooperation and collaboration.

 

The Association has also provided leadership in the identification of emerging issues and support for debating them and facilitating appropriate follow-up action by its members, partners and other stakeholders. I congratulate all members of AAU for the pivotal role that each of them have played in the success of the organization. Indeed members have developed open and trusting relationships based on mutual respect and common interests. I truly believe that that these relationships are a key reason for AAU longevity and its success.

By 2050, Africa’s population will cross the 2 billion mark, the majority of whom will be young and by 2025 a quarter of all young persons under 25 in the world will be African. This is our greatest capital and they must be appropriately empowered into the intellectual capital that Africa needs, with relevant skills, especially in Science, Technology and Innovation.

In addition we must also include Women who make up more than half of the African population and also form over 70% of the agricultural workforce.  As we pursue our ambitious goal of building shared prosperity, we must do this by developing the full potential of women.  We must implement deliberate strategies to ensure girls’ access to basic education; to higher education including science, technology, research and innovation; and increasing the number of women in academia and research.

As part of our efforts in this direction, in 2017, together with other partners, we launched the Forum for African Women Vice Chancellors, where Professor Mabel Imbuga, the current Vice Chancellor of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, is the Chairperson of the Forum. In addressing all these issues, I see the AAU playing a very important role.

Still, Africa must invest much more in education, science, research and technology to meet its own development targets, and claim its stake in the world and knowledge economy. It must also strengthen collaboration between universities and industry; and accelerate intra-African research and scientific cooperation.  These are the core thrusts of the RUFORUM Vision 2030 Strategy: The African Universities’ Agenda for Agricultural Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation – AHESTI.  We seek support from the AAU and national, regional and global partners, but more so African Governments, to help us achieve the Vision and strengthen the contribution of African Universities to the attainment of Agenda 2063. We must break the barriers across our continent, build a sense of belief and responsibility among our new generation for the future of our continent. Clearly education and universities are a key vehicle for achieving this dream. So as Universities and higher education networks, we must forge greater partnership and alliances to support the aspiration of our people: ‘The Africa We Want’.

I commend the AAU for taking the steps to increase its presence in the various regions in the continent and congratulate Sudan Government for allowing the hosting of the regional office in Sudan, more specifically at the University of Khartoum. My humble request especially to the Government of Sudan is to continue supporting the AAU Regional Office and indeed AAU endeavours.

To note also is that RUFORUM will be hosting the Sixth African Higher Education Week and RUFORUM Biennial Conference, the week of 22-26 October 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya. The theme of the Conference is ‘Aligning African Universities to accelerate attainment of Africa Agenda 2063’.

I take this opportunity to invite AAU and its membership, and other actors to join us for the event in Nairobi. I also take this opportunity to inform you that RUFORUM will hold its Annual Convening for 2019 in Accra, Ghana; the 2020 convening here in Khartoum, the 2021 Seventh African Higher Education Week in the Republic of Benin, and the 2022 convening in Morocco. We invite all of you to these events.

I wish AAU and its member Universities a productive and prosperous future and I, and the RUFORUM Network look forward to working closely with you to achieve our shared goals. Long live AAU.

 

The Writer is the Executive Secretary, Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture -RUFORUM

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Keys to real business engagement – Be a disruptor

By
Guest Writer
-

By Martin Zwilling

According to recent survey, job satisfaction for employees is at an all-time low. Only 13 percent of workers are fully engaged in their job. The sad part is that is seems to be getting worse, rather than better. One obvious alternative is to become an entrepreneur. As a mentor to many aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m often asked what it takes to switch and get real satisfaction from this lifestyle.

I found some great help in outlining the elements of this process in the classic book, ‘ Disruptors’ by Kunal Mehta. It’s a collection of stories from real-life young entrepreneurs, all of whom chose to break away from the comfort and security of unfulfilling corporate careers to be entrepreneurs. It outlines their perspectives, struggles, and heartbreaks, as well as their successes.

In fact, Mehta focuses on a special class of entrepreneurs that he calls disruptors. These are ones behind many of the modern game-changing companies, like Pinterest and Foursquare. He notes that they all seem to exhibit a special extra focus on preparedness, duality (one foot in reality and the other foot out), and a keen self-awareness of what they have and what they want.

Yet I know from experience that being an entrepreneur in any fashion is not for everyone. It takes at the very least a special blend of confidence, passion, determination, leadership, and problem-solving abilities. Given these, Mehta outlines five specific steps to get started and stay ahead of the game, which I agree are essential and have paraphrased here:

Be open to new opportunities and options. Too many people flat-line in their careers and accept being unhappy because they think there are few other options available to them. It’s up to you to constantly look for options inside and outside your own network, and be willing to make the adjustments to capitalize on them. Be prepared to experiment.

Build the courage to “Think Different.” Fear is a dangerous emotion with which to guide your actions. Put it behind you by setting your own realistic metrics for success and happiness. Quit looking for critics to flood disbelief on your vision. If your intentions are genuine and your work ethic is strong, meaningful and lasting success is likely.

Expand your support group and test your limits. Find the men and women you wish to be more like, talk to them, study them, and learn from them. Surround yourself with people who are constantly striving to be better, and support each other. Erase the qualms about failing, and willingly accept failure if it comes, as the ultimate learning opportunity.

Focus your efforts on creating value, not wealth. The glamour of wealth will quickly tarnish if you don’t feel passionate about the work you are doing. Find a role where you can work seven days a week without it feeling like a chore. Learn new skills that will make you an expert in that domain, and both satisfaction and wealth will follow.

Take action now. Overcome complacency and re-test your limits to create impact in a more meaningful way. Set long-term goals, short-term goals, and micro-goals. Then write them down. By writing these goals, you add validity to each target and create a mental desire to see them fulfilled. Then accomplish one, sense the progress, and add another.

Thus it’s clear to me that your journey from corporate America/world to being an entrepreneur does not begin with just an innovative idea, or an annoying dissatisfaction. It has to start long before that, with a mindset event that drives a real change in behavior. That could be a burning need to fix a wrong, disdain of an existing system, or just the desire to be one’s own boss.

Regardless of the motivation, you should expect that the journey will be longer than you anticipate, and require immense courage. The rewards, as reported by everyone who has been there, will still be well worth it.

I do believe that every aspiring entrepreneur needs to look inward first, to understand their own drivers. So don’t be afraid to take a hard look in the mirror. Old habits die hard, and the longer you wait, the harder it will be to make the jump, and your odds of success go down. It’s a lot more fun to be a disruptor than to wish you were one.

 

 

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Gov’t agencies sign MOU to protect intellectual property rights

By
George Mangula
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campaigning aid for intellictual property rights

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards and Uganda Registration Service Bureau have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enforce standards and protect intellectual property rights in the country with the aim to foster creativity and job creation.
The signing of the MOU on Tuesday in Kampala means the two institutions will work together to track local manufacturers and traders and sensitize the public on issues of concern. They will also share information and have a common position on matters of interest as well as have joint enforcement programs.
Under the MOU URSB will ensure the public upholds compulsory standards before an application for a trademark can be granted.
The MoU was signed by the Registrar General of URSB Bemanya Twebaze and the Executive Director UNBS, Dr. Ben Manyindo.
During the signing ceremony, Mr. Bemanya Twebaze said that “this would result in a more sufficient and easily accessible service and a more visible coordination action from the government against counterfeits and substandard goods that will improve the environment of doing business in Uganda”.
On the other hand, Dr. Ben Manyindo said that, “the synergies that will accrue from this cooperation will go a long way in protecting the consumers while protecting intellectual property rights of manufacturers.”
UNBS is responsible for matters of Standardization, quality assurance, metrology and Testing while URSB is responsible for registration of Business names, companies and legal documents, Intellectual Property Rights (patents, trademarks, industrial designs and copyright). It also does civil registration such as registration of all marriages and conducts civil marriages. The Bureau also handles Insolvency matters.

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Age limit case moved from Kampala to Mbale

By
Geoffery Serugo
-
DCJ Alphonse Owiny Dollo

Constitutional Court has fixed April 4, 2018 as the date for hearing of petitions filed by concerned citizens challenging age limit bill that was last year signed into law by President Museveni few days after its endorsement in the August house.
Last year, six opposition legislators, Uganda Law Society, Male Mabirizi among other concerned citizens petitioned the Constitutional Court challenging Age Limit Act on grounds that the process of enacting the bill was marred with violence, assault of legislators, storming of Special Forces Command (SFC) in parliamentary chambers and violations of human rights which among others contradicts with parliamentary rules and procedures.
In a conference that aimed at paving way for a joint hearing and how the case will be handled, Deputy Chief Justice Owiny Dollo told petitioners that the hearing of the case will start on April 4, 2017 in Mbale High Court.
According to Justice Dollo, judiciary has the jurisdiction to handle any matter in any court in Uganda.
“It is just a mere change of location but jurisdiction remains the same, petitioners should sacrifice and travel to Mbale for hearing of the case.” He said.
He added“Court observed that petitioner’s issues cuts across therefore petitioners should constitute themselves as a team and present their case for hearing to start.”
Upon Dollo advice, litigants complained about the convenience of the place saying that Mbale is too far adding that MPs who include the Opposition Chief Whip Semujju Nganda, Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Winnie Kiiza, have a lot of work to handle in Kampala.
However Justice Dollo assured petitioners that nobody is going to arm twist judiciary , vowing to determine case basing on merits, “Don’t worry you will get references on the case via social media. ”He added.

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