Kampala: A WhatsApp group, Busoga Think, has launched a campaign to raise Shs10, 000,000($2700) to buy books for the ten worst performing primary schools in Busoga.
Dubbed #BuyABookForBusoga, the campaign was sparked from a challenge within the group go move beyond rhetoric to having tangible solutions for the problems in the region. The campaign moved from the group to other social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook.
“Busoga is faced with very problems; in education in particular, some schools don’t have teachers. Some don’t have classrooms. But we have chosen to start with the low hanging fruits.
“Some of us never had personal copies of The Nile English Course in primary but our village schools had copies and that is how we learnt some good English. We strongly believe the books will go a long way in helping those vulnerable children,” Mr Isaac Imaka, the lead mobilizer of the campaign said.
The books to be bought, according to Mr Imaka, are text books on syllabus and UNEB question pamphlets.
“We are looking for only shs10M to cater for 10 schools. We cannot target the entire Busoga. But in case we collect more money we shall cover more schools,” he said.
Despite the improved performance in some regions over, 75 per cent pupils failed exams and Five of the 10 bottom ranked districts were from the Eastern region especially Busoga.
Jinja municipality was ranked the 5th best performing district salvaging the image of the region, Namutamba district led the pack of failures as three quarters of pupils in Buyende, Iganga and Mayuge districts failed.
A willing contributor to the cause is required to mobile money shs20000 ($5.4) to +256772668626 or +256702681058 both in the name of Ms Sarah Bawaye, the campaign’s treasurer.
“We want those who believe in the cause to talk about it on their social media platforms. It does not end with through the shs20000. We call up on all contributors to tweet and Facebook about the campaign,” Mr Imaka said.
Mr Imaka, is also the co-founder and Editor at Eagle Online.
By the time of publication, the campaign had raised shs520, 000($140).
Started two days ago, the campaign is planned to go on for three weeks.

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The family of jailed Kampala socialite, Suleiman Kabangala Mbuga also known as SK Mbuga has blamed his woes on ‘enemies in Uganda’.

SK Mbuga’s brother Abraham Luzzi , said the flashy tycoon committed no crime but is in jail ‘simply because of a few Ugandans who don’t wish him well’.

Mbuga was arrested in Dubai last month on allegations of fraud. Together with his wife, Angella Vivienne Chebet, 33, the couple is accused of fraudulent transfer of money amounting to 53m Kronor (about Shs23 billion) from a company account Chebet was running with her 71-year old Swedish boyfriend, Sten Heinsoo.

“A few Ugandans whom SK Mbuga will be naming when out are doing all they can to see that he rots in jail. All they are interested in is the trust he enjoys from his Swedish business partner (Sten Heinsoo),” Luzzi says.

It is against that background that they apparently rushed to Mbuga’s business partner Heinsoo and informed him that the latter was ‘blowing’ money on lavish parties, expensive cars and a dream wedding.

“But Mbuga was using his money. He has been rich for the past 15 years…..Go to South Africa and see for yourself, he has several businesses there in addition to what he has in Uganda and Dubai,” Luzzi said.

He further adds it’s the same ‘Mbuga’s competitors’ who are responsible for his arrest but his Swedish business partner is totally not interested in it.

“Mbuga was arrested and is currently in Awir Central Jail in Dubai though, he will be coming out soon,” he notes.

“According to the Dubai laws, one is supposed to be on remand for 9 months to allow time for investigations. However, if a suspect stays on remand for 45 days without any case brought against him, that person is supposed to be set free.

Currently, none has come forward to pin Mbuga on any case. His tormentors, the Ugandans who reported him to police also lack evidence to pin him yet his Swedish business partner is not interested in the case. Mbuga will be coming out of jail any time,” Luzzi reiterated.

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A new programme dubbed ‘Feed the Future’ will see the training of more than 12,000 Ugandan school children aged between 10 and 14 in entrepreneurial skills as way of preparing them for future employment.

The programme is part of the US Government’s Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative, and according to a February 26 press release, the twenty weeks’ programme will focus on workforce readiness skills such as financial literacy, leadership, critical thinking, health literacy communication and entrepreneurship skills.

The program targets pupils in primary four, five and six and will cover 80 schools in districts of Mbale, Mubende, Masindi and Gulu.

The Feed the Future Uganda Youth Leadership for Agriculture Activity funded by USAID is to partner with the Private Education Development Network (PEDN) and Aflatoum International to provide the training.

“There is no better time than the early years of education to start developing human capital,” says Marcos Moreno, Chief of Party, Feed the Future Uganda Youth Leadership for Agriculture Activity. He says the program gives chance to break the cycle and socially prepare young people to connect to an “empowered future.”

The implementation of the program to promote entrepreneurship will have PEDN work with head teachers, teachers, districts while Aflatoum International will review the program materials and lesson plans as well as provide analysis and report on lessons learned to scale and benchmark future interventions.

Feed the Future supports partner countries in developing their agriculture sectors to spur economic growth and trade that increase incomes and reduce hunger, poverty and undernutrition.

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