Mwenda among Top 100 Global Thinkers

By Joshua Masinde

The Independent Managing Editor, Andrew Mwenda, was listed by the Foreign Policy (FP) magazine amongst the Top 100 Global Thinkers, together with greats like US President Barack Obama, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Pope Benedict XI (ranked17th), billionaire Bill Gates (ranked 12th) and a host of other leaders, Nobel laureates, journalists, economists and academicians.
At rank 98, Mwenda was recognised for his vociferous criticism of all elements of the African aid structure and like the other top hundred global thinkers, for contributing to the big ideas that shaped the world in 2009.
According to FP, Mwenda, a dogged and fiercely eloquent Ugandan journalist and editor of The Independent is a vociferous critic of all elements of the African aid structure. “Frequently harassed by the Ugandan government for his outspokenness and currently facing trial on 21 charges (including sedition), Mwenda goes even further than most aid critics: The continent, he argues, needs to fail in order to learn hard lessons as it picks up the pieces on its own. He responded with fire to Obama’s July speech in Ghana, writing, ‘Obama needs to listen to Africans much more, not lecture them using the same old teleprompter.’”
At home, Mwenda has serially castigated President Yoweri Museveni’s regime on corruption, sectarianism, human rights abuses, and for vesting the country’s leadership and resources in family rule. He has also been fighting for free speech and economic empowerment throughout Africa. His belief is anchored in the idea that western aid has been largely unhelpful to African development as it fans corrupt states and sustains wars.
US President, Barack Obama, was ranked second for re-imagining America’s role in the world. Other Africans listed amongst the top hundred include Dr. Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General. He was ranked 30th for his ceaseless work to create Africa’s Green Revolution. “Africa is the only region where overall food security and livelihoods are deteriorating,” he declared in 2007, vowing to create “an environmentally sustainable, uniquely African Green Revolution,” according to the FP.
Another African, George Ayittey, was ranked 76th for pushing policymakers to let Africa help itself. Sayyid Imam al-Sharif from Egypt was ranked 10th for striking a mortal ideological blow to al Qaeda. Ayaan Hirsi Ali from Somalia was ranked 48 for her provocative critique of Islam, the religion of her youth.
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of Federal Reserve in Washington, was ranked in first position for his role in staving off a new Great Depression. He topped the list for “turning his superb academic career into a blueprint for action, for single-handedly reinventing the role of a central bank, for preventing the collapse of the US economy. Having done all of these within the span of a few months is certainly one of the greatest intellectual feats of recent years.
Women bagged seventeen slots of the top hundred. They are: Zahra Rahnavard from Iran, ranked 3rd for being the brains behind Iran’s Green Revolution and the campaign of her husband, opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi; Aung San Suu Kyi, from Burma ranked 26th for being a living symbol of hope in a dark place; Elinor Ostrom from US, ranked 28 for showing us that the global commons isn’t such a tragic place after all; Esther Duflo from US ranked 41 for adding quantitative rigor to assessments of foreign aid; Ayaan Hirsi Ali from Somalia, ranked 48 for her provocative critique of Islam, the religion of her youth; Helene Gayle from US ranked 52 for putting HIV/AIDS in its big-picture context; Barbara Ehrenreich ranked 59 for her relentless efforts to understand the root causes of poverty and inequality; Esther Dyson from US, ranked 70th for accurately forecasting how the Internet will shape us; Anne-Marie Slaughter ranked 79th for helping transform Foggy Bottom from the inside out; Samantha Power from US ranked 80th for moving from moral authority to government authority on human rights; Hu Shuli a journalist from China ranked 84th for persisting in the idea that public accountability is possible even in one-party China; Jacqueline Novogratz from US ranked at 85th position for helping build a new generation of social entrepreneurs; Karen Armstrong from Britain ranked 87th for advocating a truce in the religion wars; Sunita Narain from India ranked 88 for giving voice to India’s environmental conscience; Martha Nussbaum ranked 93rd for making philosophy matter; Valerie Hudson from US ranked 97th for showing that gender imbalances have global consequences and Emily Oster from US ranked 99th for her creative research into what really helps the poor.
Some former and current prominent leaders also rated amongst the top 100 Global Thinkers include: Bill Clinton, the former US president, ranked 6th for redefining philanthropy in the modern era; Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, rated 23rd for four decades of speaking truth to power; Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former Brazilian President ranked 11th for calling the war on drugs what it is: a disaster and former US Vice President Dick Cheney ranked 13th for his full-throated defence of American power.
Some Nobel laureates rated amongst the hundred include: Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladesh economist ranked 46th for proving that the poor are profitable, John Holdren and Steven Chu, ranked 34th for putting cutting-edge science back into power, Rajendra Pachauri from India ranked 5th for ending the debate over whether climate change matters, Joseph Stiglitz, from US ranked 25th for relentlessly questioning economic dogma, Paul Krugman, from US ranked 29th for proving that a Nobel Prize winner can also be a prolific pundit and unerringly correct doomsayer, Amartya Sen, a US economist ranked 58th for showing how democracy prevents famine.

FGM law offers respite to female posterity

By Joshua Masinde

Way back in 1999, during the December holidays after I had just completed my primary leaving examination, I had the privilege of attending an initiation rite of the Sabaot of Mt. Elgon region in Western Kenya. My uncle, with whose family I was staying, took me there. It was late in the night. The ghostly darkness, dancing odiously in the chilling breeze gave the night the smell of blood, incivility and abhorrence.
I had undergone my own rite of passage a year before. Practically, though not a fan of circumcision rituals, this one I was taken to attend was quite out of the ordinary.
Having expected to see brave young men, enduring the chilly night, dancing, drumming and jingling their instruments so used in circumcision rites, a surprise lay in waiting. Drama, dancing, and hullaballoo enshrined the occasion with vigour. The unexpected sight of a file of young, energetic and frail ladies, dancing vigorously, first in circles, then in one straight file away from the crowd, was to me a spectacular scene of witches dancing away their evil machinations past midnight, downloaded straight from a Nollywood script.
But, the most private details of the genitalia cut, was for us not to behold. But, my mind conceived all possible graphic details of the act itself, as I kept wondering that alas, and indeed, my unfortunate sisters had at last, mutated into adulthood, through a very excruciating exercise that was to change their lives FOR-EVER. The cut itself, blood trickling....
The lurid gory details clearly defined the blast from the past, with a sense of pity and remorse for the victims.
But, a recent parliamentary report on Female Genital Mutilation in Kapchorwa and Nakapiripit districts in eastern Uganda signalled a timely intervention, which could offer respite to the girls and women who would have undergone the crude cultural rite. This report led to the passing by the Ugandan legislature, on December 10, of a new law outlawing and criminalising FGM. The law grants a maximum 10 year-punishment for the perpetrators of the crude act, and life imprisonment for those who carry out aggravated FGM. This is a new lease of life in the female posterity who could have been subjected to the cut, much like their predecessors. Aggravated FGM is a case where the victim passes on after the cut, or is infected with HIV/AIDS or becomes disabled.
Prior to enacting the law, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, Kinkizi east MP in Uganda moved a motion in Parliament on April 29, to prohibit female genital mutilation (FGM). Dr. Baryomunsi later introduced a private bill countering FGM in Uganda parliament in September for debate and was unanimously enacted into law on December 10.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines female genital mutilation (FGM) as "the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural or other non-therapeutic reasons.
FGM is practiced the world over, and Amnesty International estimates over 130 million women worldwide have been victimised. It is estimated that 92 million of Africa’s women have been victims with over 3 million cases carried out annually on the African continent. In Uganda, the Sabiny of Kapchorwa, Bukwo, Bugiri and Nakapiripirit districts in the eastern frontier have indigenous tribes that highly practice FGM, according to the parliamentary report. The rite is performed bi-annually each year.
There are about four ways in which FGM is executed: “Sunna" circumcision is the removal of the prepuce and/or the tip of the clitoris; Clitoridectomy, or excision, which is the removal of the entire clitoris and adjacent labia; Infibulation (pharaonic circumcision), removal of the clitoris and entire labia and then joining the scraped sides of the vulva across the vagina using thorns or catgut, leaving only a small opening for passage of urine and menstrual blood.
FGM is generally performed in unsanitary conditions with unclean sharp instruments, such as pieces of glass, stones, knives, or razor blades. A single instrument is often used on many girls and/or women without cleaning, leading to the transmission of various viruses, such as HIV/AIDS.
While there are no benefits associated with FGM, the procedure is characterised with health complications like cruelty of the procedure, urine retention which is painful, short term haemorrhage, which can lead to death. It can also engender infertility, vulva abscess, clitoral cysts, labia adherences, difficulties in menstruation, fistula, disability and increased risks of HIV/AIDS infections.
In the parliamentary report, Mr Peter Kamuron, a human rights activist, opines that; “Once a girl is cut, she is cut off from enjoying her reproductive health and rights and continuing with education, and from any hope for employment and or future economic survival.”
But, an initiative like the Reproductive Educative and Community Health (REACH) began in 1996 in Kapchorwa, which has been on the forefront in helping to mitigate FGM. Using education as its primary tool in eliminating FGM, REACH formed the Sabiny Elders Association to reach the people. Ultimately, the communities made their own the decisions to stop. The Kapchorwa district saw a tremendous 36 per cent decrease in FGM between 1994 and 1996.

Poor sanitation plagues Kampala’s slums

Patrick Odongo emerges from a latrine; a one storey structure erected approximately two metres from the ground. Towering in front of haphazard, ramshackle dwellings, there is no fee charged for using this latrine, reserved for the residents of Acholi quarter in one of Kampala’s sprawling slums. Parts of the latrine’s walls are damp, with a stinging smell permeating the environment.
Godfrey Nsubuga, a resident of Kavule, in Kampala, sits outside his dilapidated shack, neighbouring an unused latrine, raised a few metres from the filthy soggy ground. He says he does not use the latrine because it is full. This and the current latrine in use are so dilapidated that he fears they may succumb to the weight of human waste, or a storm.
Many such latrines sprawl haphazardly in slums around Kampala: Bwaise, Kamwokya, Kavule, Katanga, Kisenyi and Kivulu. Some of them are constructed an arm’s length from congested slum settlements, posing grave health risks.
Frequent flooding and the swampy slum areas rule out the sinking of latrines beyond one or two feet. Erecting a latrine with a stair case is the only option despite the hazards. Many residents acknowledged having experienced cholera outbreaks, associated with the filthy surroundings.
Decent toilets are available but at a cost. A user fee of between Ushs100 (US$0.05) and Ushs200 (US$0.1) is charged, which is often too high for families, most of who live on less than a dollar a day.
Moses Mugabi, a resident of Kamwokya, mans a latrine, which is also raised two metres from the ground. Despite no charge being imposed by the landlord, Mugabi charges Ushs100 (US$0.05) user fee. He ensures the latrine is kept clean, to keep diseases at bay. He acknowledges past incidents of cholera in an area prone to flooding.
There is some respite though after Amref, in collaboration with local communities constructed a few decent toilets, which residents use for free although in some slum areas such as Bwaise, on the outskirts of Kampala, residents pay Ushs200 (US$0.1) to use them.
Joan Nakibule, a resident of Kavule slum in Kampala, says the toilets have improved sanitation in the area. “When full, Ushs20000 (US$10.5) is collected from the households, to drain it,” says Nakibule, whose mother is a landlady in the settlements.
According to James Kiyimba, a social worker and communication officer with WaterAid Uganda, latrines are raised some metres above the ground because the water level is very high. He notes, however, that these present a challenge to children, the elderly, the disabled and the sick who can’t climb the stairs. They resort to easing themselves in polythene bags, a practice called ‘flying toilets’.
However, he adds, these latrines contaminate water sources. “Most water sources are contaminated through such practices,” he says, adding that these inevitably lead to cholera outbreaks.
Peter Kato, a medical doctor, says the latrines remain potential hazards for cholera outbreaks. He says the poor drainage in the swampy areas contributes to the pollution of water for domestic use as these latrines are very close to the settlements. “When it rains, the refuse in the latrines flow out and sprawl near the dwellings,” he says.
Statistics from the ministry of health in Uganda show that over 400 people die of diarrhea and cholera complications due to poor hygiene and sanitation. Although organizations such as Amref have initiated projects to help, a lot more still needs to be done.
By Joshua Masinde

Kampala residents fall for allure of quick cash

Joshua Masinde

KampalaThe queue outside the Tripple Pride Self Help Project near the Qualicel Bus Terminal in Kampala does not seem to ever diminish as an endless stream of people wait to deliver their cash deposit slips to the company’s officials.

Many of them have been made to believe that by depositing the money and attracting three others to join the scheme could be the gateway to accumulating as much as Shs10 million without breaking sweat. Ms Winnie Apio, a Makerere University student, is one such client.

Since she registered for the project early this year and convinced three friends to sign up too, Ms Apio says she has accumulated Shs150,000. “I checked the account and saw the money,” she said.

Like a typical pyramid scheme, the Tripple Pride project depends on initial recruiters who bring in other people to “invest” money in the scheme. The new member recruits another three people, each of whom are required to invest a similar amount of money. The only requirements for joining are a bank account, an initial deposit of Shs45,000 to deposit and recruitment of three people into the scheme.

Every new member is required to deposit Shs10,000 into the project’s account and a separate Shs5,000 for each of seven already registered members. The scheme is based on the assumption that there will be a continuous recruitment of new members and even those who accumulate the maximum amount of Shs10 million will open new accounts and continue to help the scheme thrive.

But that’s where the first cracks appear in the project plan. Ms Apio says she does not plan to wait until she reaches the deposit ceiling of Shs10,935,000. “Once I get something like Shs400,000 I will stop my membership,” she said. But a manager at the Qualicel Branch of Tripple Pride, who asked to be identified only as Andrew, claims the scheme is unlike pyramid schemes or the gift circles that led to the loss of lots of money in 2003 in Uganda.

He says that unlike other gift circles where money is exchanged ‘hand-to-hand’, Tripple Pride has come up with the idea of having people exchange money through banking, which he claims reduces fraud. Like other officials however, Andrew is tight-lipped about details of the company’s operations, including the amount of money they have accumulated so far and the number of members who have joined the scheme.

A flyer advertising the project says its vision is to alleviate poverty through helping people accumulate money. “This perfect match maker connects conscious business people who are eager to integrate values with many thousands of people that are looking for their dreams to come true.

Tripple Pride has other branches in Nakivubo, Wandegeya, Mukono, Kawempe, Shauri Yako, Nansana, Mengo, Pride Theatre, City Centre Complex, Uganda House, Kibuye, Kavule and Platinum House. It has a total of 15 branches in Kampala, Entebbe, Mukono and Jinja districts.When contacted, Central Bank deputy public relations officer, Joy Kaahwa said the bank did not have details about the operations of the Tripple Pride scheme.

Kampala area MP Elias Lukwago, however, said pyramid schemes have become very sophisticated as they come as NGOs and deprive the public of all their money. “There so many such schemes in the country today but it is so unfortunate the government has not come out to do anything,” said Mr Lukwago. “Something needs to be done now”.

Kampala City Council Publicist, Simon Muhumuza, said the scheme was not recognised by the city authorities. “These are fakes,” he said. “Such people need to be arrested instead for conning the public. This is a police case. We don’t believe there is free money that can just be issued out like that.”

Last year, residents of Jinja were left in tears after Dutch International, a money saving scheme conned them of Shs11.4 billion. With promises of interest earnings of 30 per cent per month, many deposited as much as Shs2.5 million. While members expect a “Tripple” return on their investments, they are likely to end up with zero returns.

Additional reporting by Eve Mashoo

Giving hope to the sick

Jane Namala writhes in pain. She tightly clutches her temple with both her hands. She cannot even speak but mutter a few words, expressing the intensity of the pain she is feeling. She has a dental problem and has come to have her two decayed yet painful teeth extracted.
A few metres away, Aisha Nalubega has brought Tatya Nankumba, her eleven-month old baby for medical check-up. The baby has an umbilical hernia (an elongated navel), which has given both mother and baby endless nightmares.
Doctor Patrick Kaliika, a Clinical Director, who examined Nalubega’s baby, referred them to Masaka district hospital for an operation. Aisha cannot help but say she does not have money for the operation.
All this unfolds at Mulabana centre, a remote area on Ssese Islands in Kalangala district. Many of the patients suffer silently for many months as there is no trace of a hospital or clinic nearby, but a Health centre III located many kilometres away. The Health Centre often lacks the drugs to meet the patients’ health needs, according to Richard Kirule, the President of Rotary Club of Kampala, Ssese Islands.
At Mulabana centre, patients are strewn all over. Their genuine search for medical examination and attention is written on their nostalgic faces. For some, especially the women and young children, pain, suffering and destitution are hidden beneath their smiling countenances.
Their wait for the free medical examination and free drugs, even when it’s once per annum, is worth it as they are now receiving free medical care from the members of Rotary Club, Ssese Islands. The opportunity is a God-sent to the inhabitants of this almost God forsaken area.
The patients are too willing to tell the two doctors, two dentists and the team of Rotarians examining them, of their sickness, woes and names.
Richard Kirule, says the free medical outreach extended to the people of Ssese islands, is conducted three times a year. The three times are allotted to different centres of the Ssese islands, in order to reach to a sizeable population of those in dire need of the free medical care.
“Coming here quarterly is not enough but it is expensive in terms of time and money,” says Richard. He adds, “We spend a lot of money like Ushs2 million on doctors and other expenses.” The drugs alone cost them Ushs1 million shillings.
The medical outreach covers all ailments like malaria, STDs like HIV/AIDS, typhoid, flu, ringworms and conduct counselling on nutrition and immunisation.
According to doctor Kaliika, they also do HIV testing and counselling.
“For those who are positive, we refer them to Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) in Kalangala town,” he says.
Besides, they not only de-worm the community members, but also give supplements and distribute condoms to those in need.
Despite the crowd of patients at Mulabana centre, dental cases were appalling. Most of the patients like Jane Namala and Francis Ziwa, a photographer, had their teeth extracted.
Before the extraction of Namala’s two premolar teeth, she was feeling acute headache. She was unable to express herself.
But, Francis Ziwa’s aching tooth took a dentist fifteen minutes to extract.
“It was my first time to come here for dental examination,” says Ziwa, adding “It was very painful.”
He developed the toothache a year ago, though he would not go to the Health centre in Kalangala town for check up because he could not afford the charges.
Doctor Barbarah Nabageraka, who is a dentist based in Kalangala district acknowledges many of the dental problems are due to the type of food like fish and bread accelerates teeth decay.
“Bad oral and personal hygiene, type of food like fish, which is sticky, makes teeth decay quickly,” says doctor Nabagereka.
The remedies she and her co-dentist handled were refilling, removal of scales on those with gum diseases and extraction of decayed painful teeth.
However, she says there were few cases of refilling as opposed to extractions.
By Joshua Masinde

In pursuit of an old passion

Retired Major Kaka Frank Bagyenda, who says ‘Kaka’ was for disguise purposes during the bush war, is a man who is “more less settled” on Kalangala Island in pursuit of tourism: his old passion. When he was a civil servant in the late 1970s, went for a workshop to Mauritius andSeychelles, where tourism was taking shape around 1978. The beauty and immense tourist potential of the Indian Ocean Archipelago inspired his passion for tourism. He vowed to set up a tourist business upon his return.
His passion kept burning until the 90s as there was no money to implement it in the previous turbulent years. He secured a plot of land around a hot spring in Bundibugyo and was in the in the final phase of implementing the project, which was caught up in a landslide around Mt Rwenzori. He realised there were serious logistical problems as the landslides affected even key routes to his nascent investment. He shelved the idea for about a year.
He later thought of Kiboga, which was not only lacking in tourist attraction but also had land tenure system problem.
In late 1991, I came to this Island,” he says, adding he was still a major in the army. Kalangala Islands had a lot of similarities with the islands of Mauritius and Seychelles, though Kalangala, with its natural forests, serene environment, nice beaches, was and still is very natural and unpolluted. (There were a lot of sugar plantations on Mauritius and Seychelles).
“There were few tourists those days because it (Kalangala) was virgin,” posited retired Major Kaka. “There was only one guest house called Andronicles Lodge, owned by a retired primary (school) teacher.
There were no mosquitoes then because it was very cold.” (Now, big mosquitoes are a common sight especially at night).
The local leadership was very supportive since they wanted tourist development on any of the eighty four Ssese islands in Kalangala district at any cost. The RDC (formerly Special District Representative) called Kaziibwe was particularly encouraging, not only by word of mouth but by helping in the allocation of 50 acres of land on Kalangala island, for the hotel and the golf course project retired Major Kaka can boast of.
“I am the pioneer of modern eco-tourism,” he asserts, as he takes a sip of charm from his glass. In August 1994, his Panaroma Camping Safaris was ready to accommodate guests. Yet, the political ambience at the time was antagonistic to gains in tourism: the fresh Rwanda genocide, the demonic insurgency in the DRC and the conflict in Northern Uganda.
This harmed tourism too much, although Uganda was relatively peaceful,” said retired Major Kaka.
However, the only modern linkage when he opened shop was Barbus ship, from Port Bell through Koome Island, Bukeke Island, Bukasa Island, Bufumira Island and Lutoboke pier. The Uganda railways suspended the operations of the ship, which had been charged with handling theshipping services. Retired Major Kaka regrets that Enos Tumusiime, “who was the Damaging Director of Uganda railways” indirectly damaged their businesses as well.
Hadn’t MV Kalangala, another link to and from the island come in 2006, people would have to continue braving all the difficult conditions of travel by going through Masaka. This was very tedious but it didn’t dim retired Major Kaka’s passion, acknowledging thus: “You must really be in love with the island.”
Now, at almost sixty, having been part of the first group to undergo official reduction from the army in 1993, he feels at ease for being an eye opener for those who followed suit in investing on the island.
“I am now more less settled as I see tourism taking shape.”
But, visitors are always on and off and communication infrastructure is still wanting. It is even lack lustre for the domestic tourists, whom he mainly targets for their reliability.
Besides, he still has to overcome obstacles like the land tenure system if he is to expand his passion for modern tourism. He attributes the intricate land tenure system for the sluggish economic development on Kalangala islands.
He came to the island with four other senior officers and all shared similar intentions of starting up tourist hotels. These were late Brig. Peter Kerim, late Col. Byemaro (former Director of Military Intelligence), late Lt Col Ssesanga and Col John Kasaija. However, retired Major Kaka says some of them lost steam because of the land tenure system.
“The potential for development has been in the strangle hold for the last seventeen years because of land tenure system,” he observed.
Sixty percent of the land mass of Kalangala district is Mailo land yet the owners of such land live on the mainland. Twenty percent of the other land is a forest reserve, which is coincidentally very beautiful and was curved out by colonialists in the 1930s for strategic reasons.
Twenty percent of the other land is public land, some taken by thepalm oil project.
There are few Basese who own land yet potential areas tourism are owned by the likes of Kulubya ‘Mwana wa Omwami’”.
But, he adds there will be change, given political will.
Joshua Masinde

The Day Evil Dies

Book: The Day Evil Dies
Author: Clifford Goldstein
Publisher: Review & Herald
Reviewer: Joshua Masinde
Evil deeds, just like the good ones are inseparable from human existence. Some of such evil acts, like the holocaust, engineered by the Nazis, are already confined to History. Many more are imbedded in the human heart. Just like Goethe, the German poet, acknowledges, “Two souls, alas, are lodged within my breast, and struggle there for undivided reign.”
Goldstein writes that one does not need to be chained in a Marxist dungeon to know the struggle, controversy between good and evil, right and wrong, faith and unbelief, which rage around and in us. Indeed, the fiercest and most consequential struggles unfold, not in dramatic spectacles that could be glamorised in a Hollywood script but in the quivering folds of the human heart.
Of Malcolm Muggeridge, he says he described the “human drama” as unfolding an “obvious dichotomy” between two forces: “One is the Devil and the other God.”
He elaborates his central idea of the battle between evil and good in the human heart by quoting American jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes, “We are all soldiers in a great campaign, the details of which are veiled from us”.
The struggles in life he elicits in the book present tough moral choices in which the human conscience is “twiddled, prodded or tweaked”. The options lie in two extremes, good and evil, truth and error, right and wrong. There’s no middle ground as with life and death.
For evil to die between the two options, one has to choose the good-life. He writes that someone asked Billy Graham if he were an optimist or a pessimist: “I am an optimist,” he answered, “I have read the last page of the Bible.”
The death of evil is also a biblical promise in the book of Revelation. John says, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away...”
Clifford Goldstein’s The Day Evil Dies is a prophecy to past biblical and historical allusions, the present day occurrences and a foreshadow of the future. He explores some forgotten milestones of the past to help us understand the future, in a world where we are all foot soldiers in an invisible war. How will it end?
Behind-the-scenes, he writes, glimpses of the hand of God in history show that centuries of heresy, fanaticism, persecution, apostasy, and faith will soon culminate in an astonishing international crisis....religious politics will shape the future of America and curtail our freedoms leading to a terrible climax of evil before the final, glorious triumph of love.
“Now, you can understand your true role before it’s too late.”
By Joshua Masinde

Benefiting from illegal electricity connections

Jimmy is the caretaker of a residence in Mukwenda Zone, Kawempe Division. For about ten years, even before he became a caretaker, the residence he is in charge of had been glorying on the blessing of illegally connected electricity. For all that period, they paid little or no bills to UMEME, since their electricity metre couldn’t indicate the watts of power used. In any case, he said that at various points, it was UMEME which owed them some money instead.
However, their day of reckoning came of age when UMEME officials came calling after someone had tipped them of the illegal connection at the residence.
“UMEME told us someone reported us, and we suspect it is the former caretaker, whom we had asked to repay the money he had swindled from us,” said a forlorn Jimmy. The money amounted to about 2.5 million but he is said to have repaid only Ush300,000.
UMEME officials estimated the illegal connection to have been in existence for at least two years. They backdated the bills to two years and it amounted to Ushs12 million, which they warned that it either be paid forthwith or a legal option would be considered. But, after protracted negotiations, at which they falsely confessed the illegal connection was just a few months old, they settled at Ushs2.5 million fine, after which a reconnection was made.
Many culprits are yet to be caught Jimmy admitted. Within the same area, there are so many residences, homes and even posho mills, which connect power illegally and have never paid a single cent to UMEME. This has and continues to cost UMEME highly as they have to grapple with operational and maintenance costs which are quite high.
Some posho mills with not only illegal connections but also operate without licenses, are situated in banana plantains, hidden within dwellings. They often operate at night like one in Mukwenda Zone in Kawempe Division, in which they mercilessly utilise the stolen electricity.
The operators of such posho mill in Mukwenda zone could at times be seen climbing the electric poles, attached to a transformer, in order to connect power directly albeit illegally. There is case when the transformer was so overloaded that it blast and many residents in the area lost most of the TV sets, computers, loudspeakers, radios, to the power surge during the illegal connection.
Though, such illegal electricity connections are costing UMEME highly, those who are in the habit claim they can’t afford the high charges on electricity. This has nevertheless, often times driven UMEME to increase power costs to exorbitant rates. At times, they are even forced to overcharge most of their loyal customers, as Abiaz attests.
“They just look at your building and set the price for you,” said Abiaz, whose family was once a victim of such exaggerated power costs, despite meeting their past bills religiously.
“Nobody was staying at home during that month but we received a bill of about Ushs1.6million.”
However, he added that when they brought up the case with UMEME officials and when the metre was cross checked, the bill promptly dropped to about Ush70,000 only!
But, Abiaz says, the owner of former residence where he had rented a room, was also surviving on illegal power connection from UMEME. But, the owner could not allow the tenants to use electric coils while cooking or boiling water, to douse any suspicion from UMEME.

By Joshua Masinde

The 48 Laws of Power

Sqoop May 23, 2009
Book: The 48 Laws of Power
Author: Robert Greene
Publisher: Penguin Books
Available at: Leading Bookshops
Price: Shs35,000
Reviewer: Joshua Masinde
Politicians or leaders who have rooted themselves in power for long are known to be shrewd, charismatic or tyrannical. Ambitious up-coming leaders or politicians have, with wit, cleverness, manipulation and unwavering determination, managed to win over the masses, outshone political incumbents and attained the heights of power.
The endeavour to attain any such power is not a bed of roses. It is riddled with risks and menaces that would scare one to death. Retaining the same power is an uphill task. It’s not easy. But, there’s a precise remedy for those whose penchant for power is an abyss. The hooks and crooks come in handy in The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene.
The book is a decisive counsel for those who want power, watch power or want to arm themselves against power. It is a book, whose research has been dug out of works that have existed for as many as 3,000 years, is a precise case of how power has been used, manipulated to win over masses, defeat opposition, and or win over or suppress the enemy.
A peek into some of the laws will present an opportunity for you to “shine”, like most of the African leaders and politicians who have almost outlived their welcome in political dynasties. If you ever wish to attain considerable heights of power, “Never outshine your master,” so goes the first law of power. Make your master feel superior by avoiding situations which will make him feel insecure.
He also cautions anyone who wishes to use power effectively and to their advantage, not to put a lot of trust in their friends. “… They will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy.” An enemy has more to prove than a friend, hence he is more loyal.
Greene dissects the laws astutely from the first to the last law, “Assume formlessness.” His research is based on the deep of the hierarchies of power in our society.
This understanding is pegged on more references to historical figures like Otto von Bismarck, King Louis XIV, Talleyrand and others as an illustration of the use of power in real life and time. Each law might seem familiar to anyone reading them.
However, there is more than meets the eye in their understanding and application. Greene argues that learning the craft and art of power, and how to use it at the opportune time is a timely defence mechanism in preventing people from manipulating you.
However weak you might be, mastering such critical laws of power and how best to use them will level you out as astute, charismatic, mischievous and a scheming leader who knows the Achilles heels of his opponents. And for any sort of success in life, the laws will help you attain it.
A graduate of classic studies, Greene gives a balanced diet of power play in different settings, drawn from his research at the art school of Fabrika in Italy in 1995, where he says in the preface, The 48 Laws of Power was born. It was at Fabrika that Greene came in contact with the writings of Niccolo Machiavelli.
He blended this with his readings of the Japanese and Chinese history. He used such literature and classic writings on power for the last 30 centuries from Ancient Asia to contemporary America. Some illustrations are also drawn from Africa, especially on former Ethiopian Emperor Haille Sellasie.

Business boom in roast chicken

The obsession of chicken roasting and consumption at Wandegeya is an abysmal business trend that seems not to have been shaken by the global financial chomp. The business centre, on the periphery of Kampala city, is often times vibrant and jam-packed with customers and revellers from all corners of Kampala, ready to spend their hard earned cash on the readily available roast chicken meat. The virtually 24-hour business zone has never been any dull, as business goes on at full swing, escorted by the reprieve of loud music from the different pubs and restaurants therein.
The chicken vendors have invested in TV chicken (an enclosure in which chicken is roasted electrically, as seen through a glass window), which seem to attract even more customers by the hour. Some posters like ‘Chicken Tonight’ attest more to the vibrancy of the chicken roasting business, though the clients buy the chicken at any time of the day.
And business has been good. One of the chicken vendors confirmed that the chicken business is good because of the constant supply of customers. He claimed he sells over eight roast chickens on a good day, although he purchases at least twenty of them in a week. His main source of supply of the chicken is Makindye, a Kampala suburb. He stated that there seemed to be no sign of the source withering as the supply is always constant.
Responding to a question why it is called TV chicken, a vendor who calls himself David remarked, "Because the chicken keeps rolling inside as you see." This raises the enthusiasm of the customer as they await their order of roast chicken to be ready. Some TV chickens are opaque but they still attract a substantial number of customers. Such novelty, which comes at a cost of between Ushs 700,000 and Ushs 2 million, according to several chicken vendors, rears a rare impulse buying effect on passers-by, as it consequently attracts most of them to buy the roast chicken when the craving strikes. The TV chicken is more than just an electric oven where the chickens keep rolling as they automatically get roasted. This sufficiently suffices for a marketing scheme to catch the eye of any prospective customer and lure them into purchasing the roast chicken.
David gets his supplies from Kalerwe. He acknowledged that on a good day, he buys ten chickens, most of which he roasts and sells by 10pm. At the cost of Ushs 9000, it is not an unfair bargain.
Simon Mubiru, another chicken vendor, has been in the business of chicken roasting for close to three years. He also acknowledged the business is good. Just like his competitors, he has a TV chicken. However, the TV chicken was not working because there was no power. He was instead roasting the chicken on charcoal.
On a good day, especially during the weekends, he claimed he sells up to about fifteen chickens, each costing Ushs 9,000. During the weekdays, he sells between eight to fifteen roast chickens.
Uniquely, much of the chicken roasting business is done by young men. Most of them have TV chickens, which are more efficient and cost effective, while some have charcoal stoves for roasting their chickens. With a TV chicken, it only takes one hour to roast about ten chickens at once, according to Vincent Lukyamuzi, another chicken vendor at Wandegeya.
Many other chicken vendors, who are mostly young men and many of who own TV chickens, get their supplies from such places as Makindye, Kalerwe and Nakasero. Simon Mubiru gets his supplies from Wandegeya, near University Hall at Makerere University.
"There are times when the supplies become scarce but I still wait until there's more," he said as he blew the burning charcoal to catch more fire.
It was dark by the time this writer visited some of the TV chickens. Business was not all that rosy, perhaps until when power would be back. A young man approaches Mubiru's TV chicken and strikes a bargain. The chicken is appealing, but the bargain doesn't seem to augur well. He is willing to buy one piece a price lower than nine thousand, yet the allure of the chicken prompts him to pay for it, anyway.
Roast chicken sales are usually overwhelming whenever the University is open. A big percentage of the clients of the chicken vendors are students from Makerere University, some of who are permanently addicted to the allure of roast chicken. The presence of many clients often gives the chicken vendors sleepless nights conducting their trade.
But, with the global credit crunch still crunching many economies, and wounding others, the chicken business at Wandegeya seems to be firmly girded on its feet as customers are as many as the roast chickens in the TV chickens. The allure for roast chicken meat will keep the chicken vendors in business for long.

Joshua Masinde

No end to learning

Tapiwa Kamuruko was barely 17 years old when he fought in the Zimbabwean guerrilla war against the British colonial establishment in Zimbabwe. That was way back in the late 70s. When Zimbabwe was granted independence and Robert Mugabe’s ZANU/PF won the election in 1980, Tapiwa, together with other guerrilla fighters was disbanded from the force.
His only option was to go back to school. Since then, he has never stopped studying. Even when he has held various posts of both national and international stature, he has not stopped attending school.
“I have tried the delicate balance of working and studying,” he said, adding that his boss was particularly very considerate as he often granted him study leaves.
Courtesy of his unending penchant for learning, the Mass Communication department at Makerere University could be on its way to produce a first international PhD student through him. A Zimbabwean citizen, he currently resides in Germany where he works with the UN Volunteers that is administered by UNPD as the Deputy Chief, Africa region.
He enrolled for an undergraduate degree course in Development Studies at the University of Zimbabwe in 1983, before pursuing a diploma in Mass Communication and another course specialising in communication at the same university. Later, a working stint as the head of a unit in the Ministry of Information, Posts and Telecommunications inspired an opportunity for studying in Uganda.
His former Minister at the Ministry of Information, Posts and Telecommunications, Dr. Nathan Shamuyarira, gave a mention of Makerere University as a favourite destination of study, despite being an alumnus of Dar-es-Salaam University. The mention of Makerere University first, over Dar University as a hot spot for higher education spurred Tapiwa’s interest in studying at Makerere University.
“Makerere has a historical tradition in higher education,” Tapiwa acknowledged. “Most of our leaders have passed through the university.” Better still, he had the options of undertaking his PhD studies in Australia and the United Kingdom, where he was offered partial scholarships but opted for Makerere University. He pays approximately US $2000 as tuition each academic year.
Despite his decision to pursue his PhD at Makerere University, Mass Communication department, he still considers Zimbabwean universities as some of the best in Africa in terms of teaching and research. Most of them have links to industries. Its graduates are in high demand throughout the world.
He also worked with the National news agencies in Zimbabwe, especially in the research confines. One of the researches he did on the feasibility of community media led to the setting up of various community newspapers. This project, funded by Friedrich Naumann Foundation, was as an appreciation of media in community development.
In the early 90s, he pursued a Masters degree at Leicester University in the United Kingdom on full scholarship. After his second Masters’ degree at the university of Malmo in Sweden in 2001-2002, where he studied Communication for Development, the UNDP, an organisation he works for, sent him to Indonesia for a professional programme he confesses was one of the most difficult during his study epoch. A number of professors from the universities of Harvard, Columbia and London School of Economics tutored them in the course of their study in Indonesia. However, many of the students dropped out of the professional course.
Having been in Uganda for about two years, he thinks of country as one of the promising media environments, compared to many countries including Zimbabwe.
“Am extremely impressed about Uganda,” he said, considering the enormous number of FM and TV stations in the country. “I think Uganda has one of the most promising media environments in Africa,” he added, basing on his comparative media studies in different countries like Zimbabwe, South Africa, Nigeria and Uganda itself.
As the former head of UNDP’s governance project in human rights in Uganda, he says he didn’t face any major challenges. With active participation from local leaders, group volunteers and the community members, he was able to implement civic education programmes on human rights in areas like Karamoja and Bundibugyo.
The research for his PhD thesis pivots on ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and Development, with a focus on Uganda and Zimbabwe. He looks at ICT as the soul of social and economic development in any society. The trend and pattern of its usage and consumption, especially by various sections of the community could be a limelight to the unexplored opportunities that could positively transform community members. In Uganda, he is focusing on Nakaseke Telecentre in Luwero as the case study for his thesis.
Comparatively, but ironically, Zimbabwe with the second highest literacy rate at 90.7% after Tunisia, has an unemployment rate of 80%. However, by the time Tapiwa left Zimbabwe in the early eighties, his country was a beacon of hope and a food basket of Africa. But, the academic, professional and work pursuits summarise him into a well travelled man, locally and internationally.

Joshua Masinde

The untapped viability of solar energy in Uganda

In recent months, Uganda has been experiencing sharp increases in fuel and power costs. Demand for energy needs has been on the rise and this has made electricity costs to skyrocket. Matters almost went to the dogs with an acute shortage of fuel, not only with last year’s post-poll crisis in the neighbouring Kenya but also at the beginning of this year.
Despite the prices of crude oil dropping to a record low of US$ 36 per barrel, production and transportation costs have kept the prices high.
However, in the face of such challenges, there’s a gigantic potential of untapped solar energy in Uganda, which most of the Western European countries like Germany and Denmark, have exploited to meet the energy needs of their economies and populations. This solar energy, once tapped and put into effective use in Uganda could be a classic blessing, not just in cutting down consumption costs and maintaining a healthy environment, but also in creating wealth through commercial ventures and more jobs.
Solar energy is in its neophyte stage in Uganda. Where it has been proliferated, substantial progress in terms of welfare of the community members who have access to it has been noted as it is making a big difference and gradually transforming lives.
Speaking in a conference at the department of Food Science and Technology in Makerere University on Thursday, Dr. Maegaard Preben, the Director of Folkecenter for renewable energy in Denmark noted that the effective use of solar energy reduces power consumption by 65 percent. He explored the need for developing countries like Uganda to tap the sun as a renewable source of solar energy, which would last for as long as 5 billion years. His assertion cannot be more correct as the experience here in Uganda is a testimony to the benefit of investing in solar energy.
Such renewable energy has tremendously reduced expenses in households where other forms of energy like electricity, and petroleum and wood fuel are expensive, as Santore Alekua, the LC III of Ajia Sub-county in Arua district attested.
“One electricity pole is about Ushs1.5 million and purchasing poles to cover 8km is too much.” He added that the community members, especially in the rural locations of Arua district can’t think of extension lines, leave alone purchasing even one pole. Even people staying in towns are contemplating adopting the use of solar energy as an alternative source of cheaper energy.
The adoption of solar energy especially in rural areas that can’t access electricity is beneficial in more ways than one. In such areas as Arua, Tororo, Luwero, Mukono and Kampala, it is being used in cell phone charging, charging batteries and cells for radio and torches, lighting up homes and even powering radio and television sets. This is far much cheaper than meeting the increasing costs of electricity and fuel.
Besides, the commercial viability of solar energy is of the essence to such groups as Ajia Trading Centre Community Project, in Arua, which has about 15 members who have solar panels they use for their commercial engagements. The solar panels, donated by (JEEP) Joint Energy and Environment Projects, power the fridge for the community’s health centre. Some members of the community project in Ajia Sub-county now charge phones for the local people at a cost of Ush500.
And unlike in the past when solar energy was alien to this area, “People go to bars and shops that have solar, late into the night,” said Alekua.
The solar energy projects were originally initiated in Arua, Luwero, Kampala and Tororo. The project, initially the brainchild of JEEP, focussed on the environmental sustainability and conservation. However, Bob Kazungu, the Projects Officer of I.T power, Eastern Africa, says they had to add solar energy to their docket when they discovered its unique potential. He acknowledges that energy is increasingly being demanded in all aspects of life. “Demand for renewable energy services is very high, and for solar, it is overwhelming.”
Currently, only about 31% of the Ugandan population has access to electricity, Kazungu observed, adding that the 2001-2010 strategic plan aims at increasing access to electricity to over 400, 000 homes.
Although, certain milestones have been realised in tapping the potential of solar energy, the solar project in Uganda still faces challenges of poor quality appliances and limited accessibility due to the high costs of solar related products.
Moreover, according Kazungu, about 80 percent of solar companies in Uganda are Kampala based. This has made solar products not only unaffordable but also inaccessible. But, government intervention by provision of subsidies to the solar sub-sector in Uganda is yet to be a positive light at the end of the tunnel in accessing cheaper alternative energy.
“Taxes have been removed on some of the appliances as part of the subsidies,” said Mr Paul Mubiru, the Director for Energy and Mineral Development. He admits that though solar is relatively expensive in terms of operational and maintenance mechanisms, at least a hundred and one schools have access to it.
Mr Mubiru also observed that the rural areas are highly sidelined and there needs to be such an alternative energy source, which could shield many a poor household in such areas from expensive electricity. This is likely to be realised by the promise of financing from the World Bank by June this year. With such a possibility, Uganda could be on the road to expanding its solar energy base for a cleaner, healthier environment.
Joshua Masinde

When the day students study on evening programme

THE semester began on a lacklustre note, with students dragging their feet to attend lectures. And, with some temporary changes put into place at the Mass Communication department, like merging of lectures, students on day programme are less upbeat on attending evening lectures.
Until further notice, day students will remain merged with their colleagues in the evening class in such course units as Television Production, Public Affairs Reporting, and Specialised Writing for third years and Introduction to Broadcasting for second years.
Part time instructors won't be paid for teaching the day class, save the evening programme, one of the reasons for the changes.
Dr George W. Lugalambi, head of Mass Communication department told third year students the adjustments have been made necessary due to changes in the staffing policy, which has to do with shortage of instructors and insufficient funding.
In an earlier communication to the Mass Communication staff and students, Dr Lugalambi noted, "This decision has been forced on us by the staffing gaps that the department is experiencing. But, we believe it is better to find a way to continue running these classes under schedules that some may find inconveniencing than to cancel them altogether."
And indeed, inconveniencing have the changes begun to prove especially to most third year day students, who have to religiously attend some lectures that end at 9pm. Where possible, some have decided to avoid taking and registering such course units that have been merged and run late into the night. Others are promising to attend as few evening lectures as possible, since they feel uncomfortable readily adjusting to the improvised schedules, albeit reportedly temporary.
One such student is Diana Nabiruma, who freelances with The Weekly Observer. It would be an uphill task coming from work, tired, straight to the lecture room, unlike the conventional schedule where she could attend her day lectures and go to work where possible.
Others claim the rationale for choosing to study in the day class as from first year is because they didn't want to be in the evening class. Now, this should be their one reason to independently cut a few lectures and get away with it.
For Nelson Wesonga, "I prefer to sleep at 9pm." He therefore doesn't want to foresee a clash between his time of sleep and the time at which the last lecture ends. He is also contemplating choosing a convenient schedule that doesn't force him to study beyond 6pm or 7pm.
But Justus Lyatuu is comfortable with the changes and even says he wouldn't mind if some lectures ended at midnight. He freelances with the Daily Monitor and remarks, "The changes don't interfere with my programme. I think it is blessing to me."
Despite these 'inevitable' changes, some lectures which were merged haven't started yet. Students have been attending the lecture halls but no instructor has shown up. When one student contacted the instructor, whose identity will remain anonymous, he said he is not aware he is supposed to teach. Further still, he emphasised that the university hasn't honoured him last semester's dues for the classes he taught.
Dr. Hannington Sengendo, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts says the lecturers' or instructors' awareness on the teaching schedules is supposed to be communicated by their respective heads of department. He argues the time tables for the various departments were released in the first week, and it is the responsibility of respective faculty heads or coordinators to inform the instructors about the time tables.
However, he blames a shortfall of lecturers in the establishment for the merging of some lectures as already witnessed. He says some members are on study leave. This has adversely affected the departments like Mass Communication, Geography, Tourism and Urban Planning, which don't have established teaching structures. More than 90% of the teaching fraternity is hired on contractual basis. This exposes a visible need for more lectures, though, "We are not the appointing authority but we use contacts like heads of department to identify potential students for hire."
For the university to hire more teaching staff, Dr. Sengendo says, "It depends on how the university is facilitated."
However, he was concerned that many students are cutting lectures, despite the lecturers reporting on time. "I moved around classes today and there were no students in class. There was only one student in a Literature class I went to."
Joshua Masinde

Safaricom losing subscribers outside Kenya

Although, it's the most profitable and reportedly, with the cheapest rates in East Africa, Safaricom's subscribers in Uganda are complaining about the newly introduced exorbitant calling and short message (sms) rates in Uganda. Previously, the subscribers, most of whom are Kenyans, were being charged Kshs 8 (Ushs192) per minute on Ongea Tariff, and relatively the same charges on other tariffs like the belated Jibambie. This has been increased by over 200 pc. The rates now stand at between Kshs 25 (Ushs 600) to Kshs 28 (Ushs 672) per minute and Ksh 10 (Ushs 240) for a text message.
"Safaricom is charging us expensively," remarked Scola Kamau, a Kenyan student in Uganda, adding that she has reverted to MTN which is relatively cheaper now.
This is hurting Safaricom's subscriber base in Uganda as it is losing out most of them to ZAIN and MTN (Mobile Telecommunications Network), the biggest mobile network in Uganda. MTN is comparatively cheaper, especially on its MTN Zone tariff, which is rated on percentages. Calls are as cheap as almost no or negligible charges when the percentage is high at 90pc or more.
When contacted to explain the phenomenon, a Safaricom customer care personnel claimed the tariffs for Safaricom subscribers who go out of Kenyan borders will not be the same as was the case. The roaming service, a new name for tariffs charged for its customers who go out of Kenyan borders, is the burden that many a Kenyan Safaricom subscribers in Uganda are trying to avoid like a plague.
The exorbitant taxation system in Kenya could be one of the reasons for the hike in tariffs that will mostly hurt subscribers outside of Kenya. Currently, the (VAT) Value Added Tax is as high as 26per cent, and it could be more, hurting investors, even though they rake in millions or billions of shillings in profits each year.
However, what explains the new charges is a technical hitch the Telecommunications Company experienced in late January this year. For about two days, it was glee for Safaricom subscribers in Uganda whenever they would top up their accounts with MTN credit cards. A top up of Ushs 500 (approximately Kshs 20) would recharge the subscriber's account to Kshs 2000 (more than Ushs 48,000).
Taking advantage of the technical hitch, some people would top up to as much as Kshs 200,000 (approximately Ushs 48,000) and transfer as much as they wanted," said Innocent Masaki, who works as a customer care agent with ZAIN in Uganda.
He personally topped up more than Kshs 150,000 (approximately Ushs3.6million) though he wouldn't transfer more than Kshs 10,000 (about Ushs 240,000) per day. However, the lucrative exploit was short lived as all sim cards was blocked but activated with a credit-less account.
"Safaricom must have made losses and they want to recoup the money they lost during the technical error," says one subscriber. "We are all paying for the sins of a few people."
"I have money but I fear to top up," said Wyclieff Mugun. He is as well considering purchasing an MTN line. "Safaricom is for receiving only," he added.
And, indeed, Safaricom might also pay for the exodus of a few of its subscriber base to its local competitor or to its Ugandan counterparts MTN.
Joshua Masinde