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Sam Ssimbwa unveiled as head coach at Big League side Kitara FC

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Our Reporter
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Ssimbwa (in black) was presented to the fans by the club president Deo Kasozi Aheebwa

Kitara Football Club on Sunday evening officially presented to their fans at Kigaaya playgrounds, CAF A license holder Sam Ssimbwa Bamweyana as their new head coach for the rest of the season.

Ssimbwa, who was appointed following the suspension of Mark Twinamatsiko last month, will have the opportunity to renew his contract after expiry should he guide Kitara back to the Uganda Premier League.

Before a packed Kigaaya playground, the club president Deo Kasozi alongside his predecessor Godfrey Bamwenda and CEO Joshua Atugonza, unveiled the experienced gaffer together with his entire technical team and four new players who joined in the just concluded January transfer window.

George Lutalo, Hamza Muwonge and Nicholas Ssengoba will work with Ssimbwa as assistant, goalkeeping coach and physiotherapist respectively to steer the Royals to success.

Lutalo has previously worked with Ssimbwa as an assistant at URA football club while Hamza Muwonge played under the latter who was then Mohammad Abbas’ assistant on the national team in 2005.

Speaking on his appointment, Deo Kasozi told Kitara FC media, “Sam Ssimbwa’s resume speaks for itself; he is proven and experienced enough to guide our club to the top flight next season.”

The former Cranes assistant coach has had an illustrious coaching career, winning two Uganda cup titles with Mbale Heroes and Express FC before winning the league title for the Red Eagles in 2012.

He has also managed Sofapaka in Kenya, Atraco FC of Rwanda, KCCA, Police, Simba, URA FC among others.

Ssimbwa expressed his delight during his first interview, “we are excited to be here and promise to work as a team; with my players and administration to make sure we bring success to Kitara.”

“One of our roles is to get the best from the players while the most important thing is winning games away from home which has been a challenge if you look at the first round, thus we must work hard to improve that record inorder to qualify to the Uganda premier next season.”

Meanwhile, Richard Makumbi and Denis Kiyimba were appointed as head and assistant coach respectively of the Kitara U-17 team.

Relatedly, the new quartet of Paul Mucureezi, Godfrey Lwesibawa, George Ssenkaba and Farouk Katongole were also unveiled to the fans before being unleashed in a 3-1 win over Kagadi United in a practice match.

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Police investigates double murder incident in Katwe

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Our Reporter
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Crime scene

Police in Katwe are investigating the double murder of UPDF officer Moses Mubangizi and security guard Huron Otim.

According to the Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire, the incident happened on February 4, 2023, at around 11PM when Otim picked a fight with UPDF officers at a bar and went back to his beat to retrieve his gun.  

“Mubangizi fought with Otim and disarmed him, giving the gun to another security guard, Wana Simon. Otim then attacked Wana, took the gun back and returned to the bar where he shot and killed Mubangizi. The mob then beat Otim to death,” Owoyesigyire said.

The police responded to the scene and recovered one gun and one bullet, but the magazine is missing.

“The bodies were taken to KCCA city mortuary for postmortem, and Wana has been arrested and is being held at Katwe police division for further investigations,” Owoyesigyire confirmed adding that the public is asked to inform the police promptly of any incidents involving private security guards.

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Are Digital Wallets Popular on the African Continent?

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Our Reporter
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There are now more ways to pay for goods and services online and offline than ever before, and digital wallets are becoming increasingly popular in Africa.

Digital wallets, which are also called e-Wallets, web wallets, or electronic wallets, are classed as Alternative Payment Methods (or APMS) and can be stored on your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer.

They eliminate the need to carry credit or debit cards with you, and they also eliminate the need to carry physical cash (banknotes, coins, and cheques).

What are digital wallets and are they popular in Africa?

A digital wallet is an online payment solution that can be used to send and receive money anywhere in the world. It can also be used to pay for goods and services online and offline at the checkout of hundreds of thousands of global merchants.

You can also use your preferred digital wallet to store various things, such as your identification, membership cards, gift cards, coupons, concert tickets, hotel reservations, car keys, plane, train, and bus tickets, and so much more.

More people in Africa are paying for things on websites or with their mobile devices, and there has been a need for alternative payment methods, such as digital wallets. Today, digital wallets in Africa are extremely popular.

Paypal, Skrill and NETELLER – all top casino deposit methods

The two main types of digital wallets are ‘open’ wallets and ‘closed’ wallets. Open wallets can be used to buy goods and services anywhere that particular method is accepted, whereas closed wallets can only be used at one or two sites. For example, you couldn’t use the Walmart Pay wallet to pay for goods on the Spotify website.

Digital wallets have become one of the top casino deposit methods for African players, and the good news is that they are free to sign up to. When you deposit and withdraw at some of today’s best African online casinos, you can generally choose from a wide range of perfectly secure digital wallets.

Examples of today’s most popular digital wallets that many of you will already be familiar with by now are the following tried & tested methods:

Honourable mentions

Some of the other reliable online payment solutions that players can use to deposit and withdraw at numerous fully licensed African online casinos are Apple Pay, ClickandBuy, Comepay, Dotpay, Ecobanq, ecoPayz, Flexepin, Jeton, Klarna, Moneta, Trustly, MuchBetter, and Neosurf.

Some African casino sites also now accept one or two major cryptocurrencies. Depending on which African nation you are based in and which online casino you sign up to will determine exactly which digital wallets you will be able to use.

For example, the digital wallets that are popular in South Africa might not be popular in Ghana, and the digital wallets that are popular in Nigeria might not be popular in Kenya, and so on.

Also, you may find that one particular African casino site might accept PayPal, whereas one of its rival casino websites might not accept PayPal. It varies from one casino to the next.

This is why you should always check to see if your preferred payment method is accepted at the casino before signing up. There’s nothing worse than signing up only to find that the casino doesn’t accept your preferred digital wallet when you log in to deposit.

Is it safe to deposit and withdraw at online casinos using digital wallets?

Yes. It’s perfectly safe to deposit and withdraw using digital wallets at today’s best African online casinos. Just make sure that you only ever use a trusted digital wallet. Also, make sure that you only ever sign up to a fully licensed African casino site that’s controlled by a trustworthy operator with a superb reputation.

Finally, today’s best African online casinos are protected by 128-bit or 256-bit SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption technology. This technology works around the clock to keep your money, banking details, and personal information closely guaranteed and protected from hackers, which means you have nothing to worry about.

Final note

If you live in South Africa and are looking for a secure online casino to sign up to, the official New Casinos website is one of the best sites to visit. This trusted site has a complete list of fully licensed African online casino sites worth signing up to in 2023, all of which accept a wide range of popular African digital wallets.

The website also has further information about some of today’s most popular African online payment options that were mentioned above.

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Committee exposes petitioner against NSSF as a front for Minister Amongi

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Our Reporter
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Minister Betty Amongi and Job Richard Matua, the petitioner

Job Richard Matua, the hitherto petitioner who  claimed to have petitioned the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development Betty Amongi has been exposed by the Parliament Committee investigating corporate governance at NSSF as having obtained documents from the same minister he claims to have petitioned.

He was appearing before the Parliament Select Committee investigating issues of corporate governance at the Shs17.8 trillion National Social Security Fund (NSSF).

Upon being questioned by the Committee Chairman Committee Mwine Mpaka, who is also the Member of Parliament for Mbarara City South, Mutua said that he received all documents from the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development Amongi.

“Before we let you go, can you tell us the source of this information and documents that you have given us?”  Mwine asked.

He claimed that he wrote to the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development Among to avail him all the documents.

However, upon further questioning by the Committee Chairman and other members of the committee, he could neither produce a letter he wrote asking for the documents, nor could he produce a letter from the minister responding to his request.

As soon as the committee ordered him to produce the letters in a few hours, he claimed that he was “sick”, and could not return to the committee.

Experts are now wondering how a so-called petitioner and whistleblower could petition and whistle blow to the same minister who gave her documents including correspondences between the ministry, the NSSF Board Chairman, and the NSSF officials.

The committee allowed him to submit his ‘evidence’ but wondered how and where he got all the official correspondences between the Fund’s officials including the Board Chairman and Managing Director among others.

Sources said that President Yoweri Museveni was persuaded to allow an investigation based on information from the ‘petitioner’. The Inspectorate of Government is also investigating the Fund because of information provided by the petitioner.

It is also evident that after the board and MD Richard Byarugaba rejected the Shs6 billion request by Amongi, she resorted to underhand methods including blackmail and alleging that there were petitions by whistle-blowers against Byarugaba in person. She further exonerated his Deputy Patrick Ayota whom they have worked together and named his acting MD against the directive of the president and the prime minister.

Other members of the committee include Workers MP  Charles Bakkabulindi, Karim Masaba (Industrial Division, Mbale City), Michael Kakembo (Entebbe Municipality), Fortunate Nantongo (Kyotera District Woman), Hon Laura Kanushu (Persons with Disabilities), and Hon Amos Kankunda (Rwampara County).

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Chief Justice to ask for dismissal of Ssegirinya, Ssewanyana murder case

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Our Reporter
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Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo

Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo has vowed to ask for dismissal of the murder case against Kawempe North MP Muhammad Ssegirinya and Makindye West legislator Allan Ssewanyana. Dollo said during the opening of the New Law Year 2023 at the Judiciary headquarters.

He said the trial of the two legislators and their co-accused kicks off this year and he will ask for a case to be dismissed if the State is not ready.

“This year the trial of MPs will begin and there will be no games. I will ask the trial Judge to not entertain any nonsense during the trial. If the State is not ready, we shall dismiss the case,” he said.

The two MPs and four other suspects including; were arrested in September 2021 over Masaka gruesome killings.

Ssewanyana and Ssegirinya were arrested in August 2021 together with other suspects; Mike Sserwadda, Wamala Bulo, Mugerwa John, Wilson Ssenyonga aka Tony Nyonga and Jackson Kanyika and they have spent more than a year in jail for several charges including murder, attempted murder and financing the killings in the Greater Masaka region that left 26 people dead.

Prosecution states that on August 2, 2021, they allegedly killed Joseph Bwanika, a resident of Kisekka Village in Kisekka Sub County in Lwengo District. It is further alleged that on August 23 at Ssettaala Village in Masaka City, the MPs and their co-accused persons killed Francis Mugerwa Kiiza aka Nswa, Sulaiman Kakooza and Tadeo Kiyimba.

The High Court in Masaka set the 13th, 14th and 15th of February 2023 to start hearing the bail application.

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Kasaija disowns Amongi’s Shs6 billion request from NSSF

By
Our Reporter
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Finance Minister, Matia Kasaija

The Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Matia Kasaija has said that Shs6 billion request by the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Betty Amongi from the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) was irregular.

On February 2, 2023, Amongi told the select committee investigating the alleged mismanagement of the fund that her request was made in accordance with Section 29 of the NSSF Act which mandates her to amend the fund’s budget.

She said her request came after she identified that the fund’s 2022/2023 Financial Year budget did not provide for activities to implement the amended NSSF Act which introduced voluntary contributions.

Kasaija who also appeared before the same committee on the same day however, said that the request came to his attention but he disagreed with it because the ministry operates its own budget. 

The NSSF Amendment Act paved way for dual supervision of the fund and Kasaija said that it is irregular for a minister supervising the fund to request for money.

“They should request for money from the Treasury. Please, let us be clear, this money is not our money,” he said.

The Secretary to the Treasury, Patrick Ocailap told the committee that the Shs6 billion request by Amongi was not approved in the NSSF budget.

“We sent a budget to her to approve and in considering approval of the budget that is when she gave that counter proposal of re-allocation. From the Treasury where I sit, I did not approve that money, it is irregular,” Ocailap said. 

This prompted the Committee Chairperson, Mwine Mpaka to ask Kasaija why the fund had no challenges in the past 10 years, until recently when dual supervision started.

Kasaija explained that it is because he had a good working relationship with NSSF’s former Managing Director , Richard Byarugaba and the Board. 

“When the MD or Board Chairperson would get a challenge, they would come to me and if I felt that there was something I did understand, I would summon them to explain. For all purposes, I had no issue of substance with Byarugaba that is worth mentioning here,” said Kasaija.

Byarugaba who also appeared before the select committee said that the corruption allegations against him were baseless.

“How wild can this be that I received five percent of the contract value on Pension Towers and I wired the money through a bank in Mauritius and in Barclays? All these allegations are very wild, there is no evidence,” he said.

Byarugaba’s woes started after Amongi wrote a letter questioning his reappointment, following expiry of his contract in November 2022.

The NSSF Board approved Byarugaba’s reappointment for another five year term and consequently, Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja asked Amongi to implement the Board’s decision.

Amongi instead called for an investigation into the conduct of Byarugaba, accusing him of abuse of office and mismanagement of investments.

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Activity is expected to pick up in the coming weeks as schools reopen

By
Our Reporter
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It was a quiet week with the shilling trading within a narrow range between the 3680/3690 levels as residual month-end flows filtered into the market but were comfortably balanced with pockets of Corporate demand. Activity is expected to pick up in the coming weeks as schools reopen and business activity gains momentum. The unit is likely to trade within the 3650-3750 trading range in the short term.

Money Markets were fairly liquid this week in comparison to the previous week with overnight yields trading between the 11.50% – 12.50% levels. Bank of Uganda held a Treasury Bill auction and yields in the 91-day, 182-day and 364-day tenors cleared at averages of 10.384%,10.461% and 12.502% respectively.

On Wednesday February 8, 2023, Bank Of Uganda will hold a Bond Switch auction for the bond maturing on the 13th of April 2023.

The Kenyan market continues to see more demand than dollar supply which continues to keep the unit weak. This trend is likely to continue with the unit trading between the 124.00 – 132.00 trading range.

On Wednesday, the Fed raised its benchmark rate by 0.25% as per the market expectations. PMI printed at 47.4 versus an expectation of 48. A continued rise in employment numbers further strengthened the case for the dovish outlook by the Fed and a slowdown in the magnitude of rate hikes in the coming months.

The Euro weakened on Thursday as the European Central Bank raised its benchmark rate by 0.50% and also indicated further tightening cycles in the coming months. The unit reached a 10-month intraday high of $1.1033 (Shs 4103), and ended the session weaker at $1.0910 (Shs 4057)having touched an intraday low of $1.0883 (Shs 4047).

The Pound lost ground on Thursday as the Bank of England hiked its benchmark rate by 0.50%. The Pound touched lows of $1.2219 (Shs 4544) and closed the day at $1.2223 (Shs 4546).

A build-up in U.S. crude oil inventories led to a marginal drop in crude oil prices during the week. Brent Crude traded at $81.88 (Shs 304,550) a barrel and west Texas Intermediate at $75.57 (Shs 281,080) a barrel.

Gold traded at $1912.98 (Shs 7,115,267) an ounce.

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NBL appoints Adu Randa as new Country Director

By
Simon Kabayo
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Nile Breweries Limited (NBL) has appointed Mr Adu Rando as the new Country Director in Uganda. He replaces Mr David Valencia, who has been the company’s country director for Uganda and South Sudan since 2020.

Rando has been part of the ABI-InBev for the last twenty years, having served in Brazil, China and most recently, Tanzania.

“This is an enormous responsibility that I am honored and privileged to hold. Working in Uganda with the leading brewer and the support of a competent team is a great opportunity for me personally and professionally,” Mr Rando said.

“I look forward to interacting with lovely people, enjoying a beautiful climate, and very diverse and tasty food and I cannot wait to meet more of the team, partners and stakeholders who are key to the success of this brewery,” he added.

As a results-driven international business leader, Rando has extensive experience in sales, operations, digital sales systems platforms, e-commerce, sales structure and process optimization. His long sales and operations experience in different channels on three large and diverse continents and his unique expertise in driving technological change across markets have provided him with a solid base for the present leadership job as Country Director for Uganda.

Onapito Ekomoloit, the Legal and Corporate Affairs Director of Nile Breweries Limited, welcomed Mr Rando while also thanking Mr David Valencia for his input to the brewer’s success over the last two years.

“We welcome Mr Adu Rando to the Pearl of Africa. We are certain he will have a lovely time leading our team towards more growth across our brands and portfolios. We also want to thank Mr David Valencia and wish him the best as he takes on a new challenge,” he said.

Mr Valencia will be serving as Commercial Strategy Director, Africa Zone for ABInBev, Nile Breweries’ parent company. “Leading Nile Breweries has been fulfilling. Our commercial focus and execution delivered strong results and our resilience is unmatched. Even in the toughest of circumstances we have been a beacon of solidarity because we have a purpose: To create a future with more cheers,” said Valencia.

“My gratitude goes to the very able great team I leave behind, the staff of Nile Breweries, our private sector peers, government stakeholders and various partners who made my journey worthwhile,” he added.

“We have a company that is extremely solid and will be here for the next 100 years. Stay tuned for some great innovations to come soon!

Mr Rando, who has been in the country undergoing induction and onboarding in his new role expressed delight at his reception so far:

“The warm welcome by the NBL team and the hospitality of the most Ugandans I have interacted with so far humbles me. I look forward to having a good working relationship with my colleagues here at NBL, authorities and other stakeholders in the beer sector in Uganda. I feel energized, inspired and empowered to achieve our shared ambitions as a team,” Rando said.

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IGP Ochola promotes 19 police officers

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Our Reporter
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IGP Okoth Ochola

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Martin Okoth Ochola has promoted 19 subordinate officers, to various ranks of Inspector of Police (IP), Assistant Inspector of Police (AIP) Sergeant (SGT) and corporal (CPL).

According to the Deputy Uganda Police Spokesperson, ACP Claire Nabakka, “Those promoted to the rank of IP from AIP are two, SGT to AIP one, from CPL to SGT two and 14 from the rank of Constable to Corporal.”

“The key criteria were based on transparency, openness and objectivity to ensure fairness and equity of the process. These include among other factors the following; performance, current responsibility, leadership abilities, command abilities, time spent on rank, discipline, patriotism and integrity, length of service in the force, highest level of education, career courses attended, record of service, exemplary performance among others,” she said.

The promoted officers are;

AIP TO IP

1. MUHANYA RONALD

2. BETEGYERIZE APOLLO

SGT TO AIP

SGT OKIA ROBERT

CPL TO SGT

ANEBO CHRISTINE

MADADA MAGOMU

PC to CPL

1. MUHINDA RODNEY

2. GIDUDU HASSAN

3. TUMUSIIME ROBERT

4. TUGINEYO WYCIIF

5. AMUTUSIIMIRE BRIDGET

6. AHUMUZA TALENT

7. HIRYA JOEL

8. EMALU FELIX

9. AMUTUAIRE DIANA

10. IMEN BRENDA GIFT

11. KUSEMERERA CHARITY

12. OKIROR JOSEPH

13. AGABA ANDREW

14. AKANDWANAHO PETER

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Rural agribusiness communities to benefit from Nexus Green Solar Powered Irrigation systems

By
Simon Kabayo
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600 Ugandan rural agricultural communities in various parts of the country are set to benefit from an innovative solar-powered irrigation system designed by Nexus Green to reduce the cost of farming and curb the effects of climate change in Uganda. According to Mr. Rikki Verma, the CEO at Nexus Green, the Nexus Solar Irrigation Systems are also expected to revolutionize and professionalize Uganda’s agricultural sector by easing access to water for farmers and rural communities through affordable and premium solar products. “We are blanketing the country with over 600 sites of Solar irrigation systems to create wealth within the agriculture sector by introducing smart-agriculture practices and agribusiness development to move the small scale farmers from subsistence cultivation (majority at present) into modern commercial farming which would increase production, productivity and farm income,” Verma said while announcing the renewable energy solutions in Kampala.

 “With the increasingly unreliable rainfall patterns, the need for investment in irrigation and climate resilience has become of paramount importance, and the Government of Uganda recently ranked irrigation as the third most important infrastructural investment that will facilitate economic transformation of the country as envisaged under Vision 2040. This project produces a perfect response to tackle the adverse effects of climate change in the agricultural sector, by providing water to mainly water stressed communities in Uganda for domestic use, farm use – animal and smallholder crop farming. It will also support community training on sustainable agricultural practices, developing resilience to climate change, protection of environments near swamps and water bodies, enhancing food security, promoting proper sanitation and developing rural community livelihoods,” he added. Nexus Green was founded in October 2015 as a solar energy company that specializes in designing, supplying, manufacturing, and delivering affordable solar-powered solutions that reduce carbon emissions and provide cheaper and cleaner energy. 

According to Mr. Verma, Nexus Green is also introducing the latest state-of-the-art Solar Solutions which are also expected to greatly transform and significantly profit Uganda’s commercial and industry sector by easing access to renewable energy for companies and institutions through affordable and premium solar products.  “From a financial standpoint, it’s becoming very costly for businesses connected to the national electricity grid to run their operation because energy prices keep going up. “The obvious alternative route for a replacement is renewable energy. The grid and diesel generation are not reliable. Power cuts and the cost of fuel to keep operating the generators cost a lot. Using Solar with batteries is cheaper as there is no need to rely on the grid anymore,” Verma noted. “Power instabilities can have serious implications on food security and the social stability in the agricultural sector. Electricity is essential in modern farming practices, and load shedding disrupts farming operations. Solar energy provides a sustainable solution for such problems enabling farmers to have a continuous smooth running of all operations especially those in rural areas,” Verma added. 

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, about 70% of Uganda’s working population is employed in agriculture. During the Financial Year 2021/22 agriculture accounted for 24.1% of Uganda’s GDP and 33% of export earnings, according to the ministry of finance, planning and economic development. Majority of Ugandans heavily depend on the agricultural sector for food and income. Solar-powered irrigation systems are therefore expected to lower the operational costs for both large and small-scale farmers in the long run and improve crop yields even during the dry seasons while at the same time reducing carbon emissions and greenhouse gases. Verma noted that Nexus Green is committed to working hand in hand with the Government of Uganda to realize increased adaptation of solar energy across the energy by introducing cutting-edge technology to allow villages and small towns to connect to energy using mini-grids. “The East African region presents enormous opportunities in the energy sector. We are excited to have our hub in Uganda which is land linked to so many countries,” he concluded.

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