The Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataha Museveni has extended the completion date for renovation of Mandela National Stadium also known as Namboole to November 30th, 2023.
The extension follows the minister’s visit and evaluation of the progression of the renovation works. The renovation plan is extensive and incorporates numerous critical upgrades to the stadium.

In January 2022, UPDF Engineering Brigade kicked off the renovation work after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) blacklisted the stadium from hosting because it was substandard.
The minister said the Shs 3.8 billion renovation project includes the integration of a state-of-the-art ticketing and access control system, installation of solar lighting to mitigate utility costs, and establishment of an efficient drainage and irrigation system.
According to the minister, the projects further involve the creation of a 4.2km perimeter wall, along with the refurbishment and elevation of the Namboole stadium and hotel to match international standards.

“In light of these significant undertakings, I have approved an extension for these intervention efforts, shifting the initial completion date from August 1st, 2023, to November 30th, 2023. This extension was granted upon request by the project’s main contractor, the UPDF Engineering Brigade,” she said.

She said as we eagerly anticipate our next visit in November, we look forward to witnessing the fully revitalized stadium.
“I wish to stress the indispensable role of regular maintenance planning in preserving the integrity of government structures like the Mandela National Stadium. My gratitude goes out to the UPDF Engineering Brigade for their outstanding work in overhauling the stadium. Their achievements underscore the need for continued investment in our Technical Institutes, nurturing domestic talent and reducing our reliance on foreign companies,” she said.

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BY Christopher Burke
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) are critical drivers of economic growth.  SMEs are usually more efficient, flexible and dynamic than larger enterprises. Smaller enterprises can be more innovative and responsive to market needs and generally enjoy closer relationships with clients.
Definitions of SMEs vary around the world.  While the African Union Commission (AUC) defines SMEs as enterprises with less than 250 employees and an annual turnover of less than US$50 million, Uganda’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives defines considers businesses with less 100 employees and an annual turnover below UGX360 million (US$96,000).
Economic powerhouses across East Asia including Japan, South Korea and Taiwan recognized and actively promoted SMEs as a strategy to achieve economic growth and development.  Many of the large business conglomerates or Chaebol as they are called in South Korea started as very small family owned enterprises. Samsung was founded as a grocery trading company dealing in noodles and LG Electronics, named Lucky GoldStar until 1995, started as a small enterprise producing toothpaste.
Although external perceptions of Japan’s corporate landscape are dominated by big names such as Toyota, Honda, Sony and Toshiba; however, over 93 percent of companies in Japan are actually classified as micro-enterprises with less than 10 employees according to the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency of Japan. As prominent development economist E. F. Schumacher proclaimed–small is beautiful!
East Africa’s economy is booming.  In February this year, the Africa Development Bank announced economic growth projections for the region approaching 5 percent growth for the 2023-2024 financial year. Only marginally behind projections of 5.3 percent growth in East Asia and substantially higher than 1.3 percent predicted by the IMF for advanced economies in Europe and North America for the same period.  While access to credit, lack of infrastructure and challenges associated with bureaucracy and corruption continue to present serious challenges to economic growth and development—opportunities abound.
A key to East Asia’s economic success has been access to markets in North America and Europe. More can be done to strengthen East Africa’s access to global markets; however, the 2021 African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) connects 1.3 billion people across 55 countries with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) valued at US$3.4 trillion and represents the largest free trade area since the formation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Developments in communication and to some extent transportation technology have disrupted divisions between centre and peripherals and contributed to leveling the playing field in some sectors.  Access to technology and information have altered traditional development trajectories.  Economies in general and SMEs in particular are no longer bound so tightly to traditional trajectories of primary industry, secondary to tertiary sectors.  SMEs can foster economic growth in strategic areas, contributing to the development of new products, most especially services, contribute to job creation and reduce poverty and socioeconomic inequalities.
Governments across East Africa have followed East Asia with the implementation of policies to promote business and economic growth by streamlining business registration processes to reduce bureaucracy and make it easier for SMEs to start and flourish.  The World Bank has implemented a series of initiatives in Uganda and across East Africa under the Ease of Doing Business program over the past two decades and registered some notable successes.
A core difference between East Asia and East Africa is the level of skilled human capital. Skilled personnel are vital for SMEs to innovate, compete and grow. Societies across East Asia have traditionally attached great importance to education as a key to success and social mobility.  Education is not accorded the same priority in East Africa.  While salience education is slowly gaining prominence in response to modernization and growing inequalities, governments recognize the importance of education and training programs to develop skilled human capital even where they do not have adequate resources to address gaps.
Key challenges to SMEs globally comprise access to technology, information and finance. Many East Asian governments established financing programs to provide loans and guarantees to SMEs.  More is to be done to develop policies that support SME growth including tax incentives, subsidies and facilitating access to financing investment. An array of state sponsored initiatives such as the Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP), Uganda Women Enterprises Program (UWEP), Parish Development Model (PDM), Uganda Development Corporation (UDC) and Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) provide support in the form of financial, technical, training, advocacy, mentorship, research, information, networking and financial assistance to SMEs.
The private sector is playing an increasing role to foster the development of SMEs with a growing number of initiatives across the country. The Stanbic Business Incubator Limited (SBIL) skills entrepreneurs through training and mentorship programs, and also supports them with access finance, markets and networking opportunities to SMEs with at least 5 employees.  Other private sector initiatives comprise Enterprise Uganda: Uganda Entrepreneurs’ Federation (UEF), Business Development Centre Uganda (BDC-U) and the Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF).
SMEs have played a critical role in the economic development of East Asia. They have been a significant source of employment, make sizable contributions to GDP, stimulate innovation and technology transfer, and benefit from strong support from the government, business networks, and partnerships, and access to finance.
Christopher Burke is the managing director of WMC Africa, a communications and advisory agency in Kampala, Uganda.  He has over 25 years’ experience working on issues associated with development, communications, governance and peace-building in Asia and Africa.

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Police have warned the public against recording children at a loss of a relationship or theoretical biological link after the conduction and release if DNA results.
Recently there has been a steady increase in the demand for paternity tests at DNA testing centres, medical centres and hospitals.
The common relationships that utilise DNA testing, includes paternity, maternity, full siblingship or half-siblingship. Others are using the tests to establish whether they are susceptible to certain types of genetic diseases like cancer.
DNA testing has become so accessible, results are retrieved within 3-5 working days, the preferred collection techniques are by buccal (cheek or mouth cavity) swab, which is easy to collect, painless and non-invasive. In addition, the industry standard of 99.5% or greater degree of certainty, with respect to paternity or maternity is sufficient to support a biological relationship between a parent and child.
According to Police spokesperson Fred Enanga, the typical customers are men who are engaged and want to confirm off springs from a past relationship, father’s seeking reassurance that they fathered their children, fathers in distant relationships, women inquiring about paternity on behalf of their children, relatives from the paternal side, women seeking child support, and even children who want to know who their biological parents are.
Those whose results come out positive, they are always happy to receive the results, because of better proof.
However, we have witnessed clients whose results have come out negatively evoke strong emotions, with potential of altering their lives. The media hype and alarms over DNA results is too much and is affecting the privacy of children, whose welfare becomes uncertain, because the alleged father will no longer have a legal obligation to pay child support or any legal rights to child custody or visitation.
“We would like to warn the public against recording children at a loss of a relationship or theoretical biological link. Negative results have easily devalued past family relationships, when new biological conclusions are disconnected,” he said.
“We urge all DNA testing centres to be very transparent with the information they give to clients. They should inform them fully about the possible outcomes of the results. It could be surprises about unknown siblings, others learn their father is not their biological parent and in worst case scenarios, fathers have even dated their hidden biological daughters, in other instances, siblings have unknowingly dated each other and even married off,” he said adding that families should therefore, be careful and properly prepared for the paternity results or other biological connections.
In addition, Enanga said they should identify DNA testing centres that are certified, because they have trained genetic counselors. Some of the home DNA kits can be subject to contamination and can lead to inaccurate test results. It’s important therefore, to have DNA testing performed at a reputable testing facility that is certified. They have strict standards for testing and accuracy.
He said where a parent, mother has evidence that proves that a paternity test is not accurate or fraud, we advise them to file a complaint with Police or consult a lawyer. You can also request a second test, if you are concerned about falsified or inaccurate paternity test results.

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GULU July 3, 2023: Celestine Opoka 71 years old today wedded his wife Margret Lalam at Gulu regional referral hospital where he was admitted with serious illness and stayed in the hospital sickbed for over three months.

Opoka explains told Eagle Online’s correspondent that he is very happy today for his Holy Matrimonial marriage which he has been waiting for a very long time adding that he tried several times to organize but failed due to financial constraints.

He also applauds his children and grandchildren for making his marriage successful and encourages people who have not yet wedded to follow his footmark.

Opoka is happily married with a wife and five children, he re-echoed that marriage is ordained by God and encouraged the young people to take examples from him to accept the wedding even from the hospital sickbed.

Lalam Margret Opoka, wife also thanked God for making their marriage a successful and appreciated her husband and children for being supportive toward the function. She praised God to allow their marriage to go on.

Joyce Laker Lajule Opoka’s daughter in-law who could not hide her excitement explored young people to copy the example of her parents.

She adds that marriage is life decision making and encourages parents to support their children to go for a wedding.

Father John Peter Olum, the Parish priest who presided over the matrimonial wedding, said “spiritual healing is very important in marriage” and urged the Christians to prepare their life.

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The Ministry of Works and Transport has suspended the implementation of the Intelligent Transport Monitoring System (ITMS). The ITMS is set to be rolled out in July 2023.

In July 2021, the Government signed a 10-year contract with the firm to provide digital vehicle trackers for motor vehicles and motorcycles in a bid to curb insecurity.

The proposal was first introduced by President Museveni in his 10-point security measure in the wake of gun violence in the country that saw several Ugandans killed by criminals moving by motor vehicles and motorcycles.

ITMS is aimed at enhancing crime management through detection, tracking, identification and recognition of all vehicles and motorcycles operating in the Country and improved revenue collection, traffic management and reducing or eliminating duplicate registrations of vehicles or motorcycles as the case has been of late.

According to the statement released by the state minister for works and transport, Fred Byamukama, Gen Katumba Wamala signed Traffic and road safety regulations 2023 and Traffic and road safety amendment 2022 and they will come into effect on October 31, 2023.

“The minister of works and transport has extended the contracts for the service providers for number plates Arnold Brooklyn Company Limited and Tumpeco for a duration of four months from June 30, to October, 31, 2023,” the minister said.

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The Commanding Officer of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) contingent operating in DR Congo Col. Michael Walaka Hyeroba, yesterday handed over a two bedroomed house to an 80-year-old Mzee Sefuko Ghato of Amafiga village, Kabanda sub-county in North Kivu.

UPDF is deployed in DRC under the mandate of the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF), to serve as a peace keeping mission.

During the handover of the house, Col. Hyeroba thanked God for the life of Mzee Ghato and the UPDF leadership for accepting to facilitate the activity to promote mutual cooperation between Uganda contingent and the civilian community.

“To UPDF, the civilians are a very important aspect in UPDF Ugacon Military activities in the EACRF peace keeping operations and to the entire UPDF as a family and it is this family which has enabled us to build a decent home for Mzee Ghato. We also furnished it with a four-inch bed, mattress, bed sheets and a blanket so that the Mzee Sefuko Ghato can sleep comfortably,” he said.

Col. Walaka thanked the people of Rutshuru territory and the entire North Kivu for accepting UPDF Peace Keepers in their territory. 

He pledged to work so closely with the civil populace to ensure that total peace and stability returns in North Kivu. 

The construction of the house commenced on May 16, 2023 by the UPDF contingent engineering unit.

Mzee Ghato thanked God for the good job done by the UPDF.

“Today my dream of getting a permanent house has been fulfilled by UPDF,” said Mzee Sefuko with joy.

Capt Kato Ahmad Hassan, the contingent spokesman said the project is a gesture of appreciation to the community for their tireless cooperation rendered to Ugacon while executing the mandate of EACRF in DRC.

The handover was also witnessed by the contingent administrative officer Lt. Col. Martin Tokwaro Komakech among other contingent head quarter staff officers and men. 

The project site is approximately 11 kilometers from Bunagana border and 28 kilometers from the contingent headquarters located in Kiwanja-Nyongera town.

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