Uganda’s team of athletes at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar has continued to perform well in various disciplines.

Early this week, Halima Nakaayi won Uganda’s first gold medal at this year’s Championships after clocking one minute and 58 seconds in the women’s 800m final at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.

Yesterday, two other Ugandans also continued to add more pride to the Pearl of Africa with Winnie Nanyando qualifying to the finals of the women’s 1500m while Ronal Musagala, the national 1500m record holder is also through to the semifinals of the men’s 1500m.

Musagala made 3:36.54 to advance to advance to Friday’s semifinals while Nanyondo progressed to the final after making 4:01.30 in the semifinals.

Musagala was placed in Heat 3, which was the last of the 3 qualification rounds and he and his rivals were advantageous to have watched the first two groups race giving them what to do in their final race.

Heat 1 was won by Norway’s Jakob Interrogation at 3:37.67 who was closely followed by all the seven runners in the group who also managed to register 3:37 mark.

Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot won Heat 2 with 3:36.82 followed by UK’s Josh Kerr who managed 3:36.99 and the rest were a second or more slower.

Musagala’s group was the fastest of all the three Heats and the Ugandan had to press a little harder to squeeze himself into the sixth place avoiding being part of the mathematics of determining next six fastest finishers.

Musagala is ow warming up for Friday’s semifinal which will kick off at 8:05pm local time.

Nanyondo booked her place in the final of women’s 1500m after coming number one of the two non-automatic qualification spots.

Nanyondo had finished fourth on Monday in the women’s 800m final which was won by her compatriot Halimah Nakaayi, turning her focus on the longer race. She will hope to qualify for Saturday’s final at 8:55pm local time.

Nakaayi restores Uganda’s glory

The gold medal won by Halimah Nakaayi on Monday saw her becoming the first Ugandan woman after Dorcus Inzikuru to become champion at this international event. The prize is also Uganda’s first middle distance medal at track. Her one minute 58 seconds saw her bag the $60,000 (Shs218 million) winner’s prize.

Dorcus Inzikuru, the other female Ugandan to win gold at the event was champion in the steeplechase in the 2005 edition in Helsinki.

Peruth Chemutai, another Ugandan who represented the country in the women’s steeplechase final finished fifth. The race was won by Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech who opened up with a long gap right from the start going on to take the $60,000 winner’s prize.

Nakaayi and Nanyondo went to Doha in the best form of their career and the duo opened up the championship by claiming the first and second spots respectively.

Earlier in the build-up to the championships, Nanyondo had twice broken the national record of 1500m following setting new national 800m, 1000m, and mile indoor records.

Nakaayi had also set a new national record of 1:58.39 in the 800m and she followed it up with another one in the mile of 2:34.88. Her ambition for a medal in Doha was underlined when she won bronze in All African Games in Rabat, Morocco.

Previous winners at the championships

Nakaayi’s gold medal will be added to those won by her predecessors for Uganda from the championships. Davis Kamoga won silver at Athens in the 1997 edition becoming the first Ugandan to win a medal at the championships. Dorcus Inzikuru won gold in the steeplechase in Helsinki in 2005, Moses Kipsiro was a bronze winner in Osaka in 2007 before Stephen Kiprotich’s famous marathon gold medal in Moscow in 2013 while Solomon Mutai won bronze in the corresponding event in Beijing in 2015 and Joshua Cheptegei was the latest Ugandan medalist before Doha after winning silver in London in 2017.

Uganda is hosting this year’s Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) that brings together parliamentarians, parliamentary staff, and decision-makers from all commonwealth nations. The conference takes at Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort from 22 to 29 September 2019 under the theme, “Adaptation, engagement, and evolution of Parliaments in a rapidly changing Commonwealth”.

Despite this year’s being the 64th CPC, Uganda will be hosting it for the second time in history with the first having taken place in 1967, just 5 years after attaining independence from the British colonial government.

Yesterday (Sunday), delegates from several commonwealth countries started to arrive in the country with Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda and Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga present at Entebbe International Airport to receive the guests for the week-long event.

Commonwealth Parliamentarians are expected to address a range of issues during the conference including the evolution of parliamentary democracy and global challenges like climate change, sexual harassment, among others.

This year’s event is hosted by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Uganda branch together with the Parliament of Uganda.

This annual Conference brings together Parliamentarians and other key decision-makers from the Commonwealth to tackle some of the major challenges facing today’s parliaments and to create networking opportunities.

Among the delegates in attendance include the CPA Executive Committee, headed by its Chairperson, Emilia Lifaka, who is the Deputy Speaker of Cameroon’s National Assembly.

Speaker of Uganda’s Parliament Hon. Rebecca Kadaga is the CPA President Designate (2018-2019) and will be acting as the host of this year’s event.

The discussions will focus on key issues including the ever-increasing scrutiny of parliaments and the declining public trust in parliaments and at the same time offering members an opportunity to benefit from several aspects. These benefits include supportive learning, professional development, and sharing of best practice with the parliamentarian and other leading international organizations.

A number of additional conferences and meetings will also take place during the event including the 64th CPA General Assembly, 37th CPA Small Branches Conference, 6th triennial Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP), meetings of the CPA Executive Committee, and meetings of the Clerks at the Table (SOCATT).

There will be elections for the new heads in different departments including the chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP), the CPA treasurer and the chairperson of the CPA Small Branches who will serve for the next 3 years.

Several conference plenaries and CPC workshops for parliamentarians will also take place at the conference with some focusing on gender, youth and the CPA Small Branches.

A wide range of topics will be discussed during the workshops and they include; innovation in parliament, the role of parliament in facilitating persons with disabilities including candidates, legislators, and the electors. Others include the impact of science and technology on the work of parliament, strategies to curb youth unemployment and combatting rapid urbanization and rural decline. The likely impact of United Kingdom ‘Brexit’ on CPA Small Branches, fostering a culture of respect, fairness and dignity, the role of parliament in the doctrine of the separation of powers, and enhancing transparency and accountability. Other topics include the Post Legislative Scrutiny (PLS), and how the updated CPA Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures has been used to strengthen the capacity of CPA Legislatures.

Uganda is going through a turbulence of security crisis involving both high profile and civilian killings as well as mass kidnaps that have really caused panic among the citizens.

There have been at least two other gruesome killings around Kampala in a period of less than a month including one that involved the killing of a social worker Maria Nagirinya and her driver Ronald Kitayimbwa who were abducted at Busega, a city suburb and later their bodies were found in Mukono. Another involved the shooting of a Rwanda national Merina Tumukunde and Joshua Nteireho along the Entebbe Expressway.

There have also been several cases on kidnap across the country where kidnappers abduct people and demand for a ransom in order to release the victims while others are just found dead or even disappear completely after their abduction.

Some high-profile killings have robbed Ugandans of their leaders in several departments like police, judiciary and legislature. Among the key names to fall victims include former police spokesperson Andrew Felix Kawesi, State prosecutor Joan Kagezi, former Arua Municipality Member of Parliament Ibrahim Abiriga, former Buyende District Police Commander Mohammad Kirumira, among others.

The massive killing of women in the country that commonly occurred in the areas around Entebbe, which left almost 30 women dead also went without any clarity about the cause and or even revealing the assailants and their motives.

The religious sector has been targeted by the assailants who have gunned down several Muslim leaders in the same format like other victims leaving their followers puzzled and searching for justice.

But what could be the major reasons for these continued killings and kidnaps that have left Ugandans living in fear and panic about their fate.

The investigations by the police and other security organs have not really yielded much in terms of identifying the real assailants and their objectives. Therefore, the public has been left to speculate about what could be the reasons behind the atrocities and the following points have commonly been pointed out.

Political factors

Political reasons were pointed out to be responsible for the killing of the high profile names in the country like Kawesi, Kagezi, Abiriga, and Kirumira. Some claims point out that some of these victims had political opponents who decided to eliminate them since they considered them to be a threat to their offices and money-fetching fortunes. Kawesi and Kirumira and the key names mentioned in this case.

Others like Kagezi were suspected to have been killed due to her role in the judiciary where she was handling some high profile criminal cases including the ones over terrorism. Kagezi was handling the case involving the suspects of the 2010 terrorist attack at Lugogo where over 76 people were killed in bomb blasts while watching the World Cup Final. Her murder was therefore seen as a move by the assailants to jeopardize the evidence and investigations into that case

The murder of Abiriga was linked to several factors including his political opponents who might have had interest in his position while others claim that he was eliminated because he was linked to the rebel group of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

Rebel activity-related factors have also been mentioned to be responsible for the assassination of Muslim clerics. Allegations indicate that those killed were also linked to rebel groups especially the ADF though others also claim that their death was due to internal misunderstandings and conflicts in the Muslim faith by those who considered them to be opponents.

Poverty and unemployment

The high rate of poverty and unemployment in the country has been mentioned as one of the major causes of murders and kidnaps in Uganda. Majority of Ugandans are poor with many having no defined sources of income while majority of those unemployed are graduates from tertiary institutions who have failed to find what they can do for income even after getting qualifications.

It is strongly pointed out that poverty and unemployment have caused too much frustration among these young people of who some have resorted to killing or kidnapping those they think they can get money from. Several murders like the recent one of Joshua and Melina along the expressway have been linked to this. Some reports indicated that the victims had large sums of cash in the car which was targeted by the assailants who decided to end their lives in order to run away with it.

Several kidnap cases have also been attributed to poverty. This was mainly evident in the murder of businesswoman Susan Magara early last year when her kidnappers made several calls to her parents and relatives demanding for a ransom of about $1 million. The assailants finally ended her life when her parents delayed to send the money. Many other kidnaps related to the one of Magara followed, which even included school-going children who were abducted in order to fetch money from their parents.

The kidnap syndrome has also led to neither twist whereby some Ugandans have resorted to kidnapping themselves in order to get money from their parents and relatives. Many of these cases have been foiled by the police and majority are young men and women who are unemployed and are looking for money in order to meet their personal needs.

There have been allegations that some police officers exchange their guns for money from those who want to use them in robbery and later return them to the officers. This is attributed to low salaries given to these officers though some people point out that some of them are just greedy.

Insecurity

Insecurity in the country has also been blamed for the on-going killings and kidnaps with many blaming the government for failing to beef up the required security in the city and the nearby areas to check on these cases. The recently deployed Local Defence Unit operatives who are in charge of preventing crime especially at night have done very little to prevent these murders and kidnaps while some have been reported that they themselves take part in causing more insecurity as they resort to robbing people of their property like cash and mobile phones.

The CCTV cameras that were also recently installed by the government on the streets of Kampala and the surrounding areas have also been criticized that they only help to show what happened but do not prevent the crimes from happening.

Security agencies especially the police and other related organizations like the Internal Security Organization (ISO), and the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) have been blamed for failing to arrest and produce the real culprits who commit these atrocities in order for them to face justice. Until today Ugandans still don’t know those who murdered their leaders and relatives including those murdered four years ago like Joan Kagezi. Ugandans fear that the assailants have taken advantage of this security weakness to continue committing more crimes since they know that there is no enough intelligence in the country to arrest them. Many of the suspects who are always arrested after these atrocities are later released after security agencies failing to produce the required evidence that pins them to the crime leaving the real killers free to continue with their evil.

Hatred and conflicts among people

Some killings have been attributed to social misunderstandings and conflicts among different social groups. Some of these conflicts are as a result of commercial factors involving business dealings while others are social in nature suspicion and mistrust among couples.

Some aggrieved individuals from these conflicts tend to take the law in their hands and get rid of their opponents either by killing them themselves or by hiring others to execute the job on their behalf.

Some of the murders that involved women were suspected to have been influenced by their partners who suspected them to have love affairs outside their relationship. Others were suspected to have been victims of conflicts they had in business over commercial property like land, money, buildings, and merchandise.

Zimbabwe’s first post-independence president Robert Mugabe has passed away from Singapore where he has been receiving treatment since April.

Zimbabwe president Emmerson Mnangagwa and Mugabe’s family have confirmed his death.

“It is with utmost sadness that I announce the passing on of Zimbabwe’s founding father and former president, Cde Robert Mugabe,” Mnangagwa twitted.

Mugabe’s health started deteriorating immediately after his removal from office in November 2017.

Mugabe became Zimbabwe’s first leader after the country secure independence in 1980 from the UK. He became prime minister after winning the first election in 1980 before he abolished the office in 1987, becoming president instead.

Mugabe’s early years and rise to power

Mr. Mugabe was born on 21 February 1924 in at Kutama Mission northwest of capital Harare in a catholic family. In his early years, Mugabe was described as a loner and a learning enthusiast who always carried books even when he was tending cattle.

He concentrated even the more on his studies after his father who was a carpenter left the family when he was 10 and at the age of 17 he qualified as a schoolteacher.

Mugabe joined Fort Hare University in South Africa where he met many Southern Africa’s future black nationalist leaders who also inspired him to join politics. Initially, Mugabe was an intellectual who embraced Marxism even before he joined university.

In 1964, Mugabe was imprisoned for more than a decade without trial after criticizing the colonial government of Southern Rhodesia.

While he was still in prison in 1973, he was appointed as the leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), of which he was a founding member.

He started a guerrilla movement after he was released that directed raids to the colonial government basing in Mozambique and he also led some negotiations on behalf of the rebels with the government to end the crisis.The negotiations led to the renaming of Southern Rhodesia to the independent Republic of Zimbabwe and soon afterwards Mugabe secured an overwhelming victory in the country’s first election becoming prime minister.

How his leadership soured

Over the decades of Mugabe’s leadership, he started facing some criticism internationally as many started seeing him as a dictator. This escalated even the more in 2000 when he seized white-owned farms and gave them to black farmers a move that caused economic disruptions including weakening Zimbabwe’s currency strongly.

There was growing violence and oppression in Mugabe’s leadership and it increased in the following years and in 2008, following his loss in the first round of the presidential election, his soldiers launched brutal attacks to the opposition forcing his rival to pull out of the contest.

Due to international pressure and economic collapse in Zimbabwe, he accepted power-sharing with his rival Morgan Tsvangirai in 2009, installing him as prime minister.

In 2017, following growing discontent among people of Mugabe’s rule and amid concerns that he was grooming his wife Grace as his successor, the army helped his former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa and forced him out of office.

Recently before his death, Mugabe has vowed that his body should not be buried in the national cemetery of Zimbabwe which is reserved for national heroes. He also said that current president Emmerson Mnangagwa who succeeded him should not attend his burial once he dies.

The much-reveled annual festival of Nyege-Nyege in underway today at Nile Discovery Beach up to 8 September.

The four-day festival will feature a variety fun activities including music, dance, eating and drinking. Among the variety of music genres to entertain revelers at the event include Afro-house, Kudros, Kwaito, hiplife, zouk bass, tuarege, among others.

According to the organizers of the event, the festival is aimed at empowering Ugandan creative industry and promoting the country as a home of creativity.

“The festival has over the years contributed tremendously not only to the government but the locals too, in terms of creating employment before, during and after the event”, said Derrick Debru who is a co-founder of the event.

What to expect at the event?

Music

Over the years, Nyege-Nyege has been known as an event where music enthusiasts go to quench their thirst and this year will not be any different.

The music artistry at the event sees musicians coming together from different corners across the continent. There are five stages where over 300 artists will perform to the audience

This years’ event, unlike the previous ones that have been featuring more of underground musicians, revelers will also enjoy music from top local artists like Sheebah Karungi and Pallaso.

Dancing

Dancing at the Nyege Nyege festival has always been one of the major attractions as dance artist are always joined on the stage by other dancers from the audience and they battle it out till the end.

There will be disco dance artists like Moss Trix, Erik Sama, Eric Egesa, among others whom fans will be looking forward to join on the stage.

Cultural diversity

A variety cultural performances are showcased at the festival with cultural groups from across Uganda given a platform to perform. The cultural performances usually catch the attention of tourists who attend the event as they get chance to watch a variety of performances from different tribes that in actual sense they wouldn’t find in one place even with their money willing to pay.

What is Nyege Nyege all about?

According to the organizers of the festival, Nyege Nyege stands for peace, love, and abundant joy. They add that the event also stands for fun and curiosity for underground music, and musicians in Africa and those who want to know the continent better.

The organizers always want to push boundaries with a sense of inclusivity and an invitation to wonder. They want fans to have the best time of their life in those four days as they discover more about Uganda, the Peal of Africa.

When and how did Nyege Nyege festival start?

Nyege Nyege started as an act of sheer collective madness in the rainy season of 2015 though it has since moved to the dry season.

The festival has drastically gained popularity since its inauguration and now it is considered the most important 4-day international music festival in East Africa.

The management and organizers of the event underline that the primary purpose of Nyege Nyege is to showcase all the exciting developments on the East African scene, promote darling projects and give a real voice to the underground to attract both revelers and musicians alike.

Road accidents in Uganda are on record as one of the highest in Africa something that taints the country’s good reputation as one the best tourist destinations for wildlife safaris. According to reports, road accidents are one of the major causes of deaths in Uganda together with communicable diseases like malaria and HIV/AIDS.

Last week, about 3 major road accidents were reported including two that involved 2 YY buses in Mbale and Iganga killing at least 11 people. Another accident happened in Rubirizi district, western Uganda involving a fuel tank that burst into flames after ramming into four commuter taxis leaving at least 16 people dead and property destroyed.

These accidents are just a portion of the very many that happen on a daily basis in different parts of the country commonly involving vehicles and motorcycles.

But what exactly causes these rampant road accidents that are claiming the lives of many Ugandans, and what can be done to stop them?

Reckless and careless driving

On many occasions, the police have reported reckless driving as the primary cause of road accidents in Uganda. For example, this was pointed out as the cause of the recent accident in Iganga where a bus driver was trying to overtake and he ended up in a head collision with a commuter taxi killing all the 10 people who were in the taxi.

Reckless driving involves over speeding the vehicle beyond the maximum speed permitted along that particular road, overtaking other vehicles where it is not necessary and obstruction of drivers through talking on phones while driving, playing loud music in the car and lack of focus.

Drinking and driving can also be brought under this category. This is also a very common practice in Uganda. This majorly happens late in the night when people exploit the opportunity that traffic officers are away from duty resting and they take their vehicles while drunk. Drunk driving has resulted into a lot of accidents that have claimed many lives.

Reckless driving is primarily attributed to the vehicle drivers who are in full control of the vehicle and therefore it is their sole responsibility to ensure that they drive carefully to avoid causing these avoidable accidents.

Narrow and old roads

Uganda is facing this infrastructural problem. Our roads were constructed in an old fashion to cater for a few cars that were in the country by then. Today the number of cars in the country has out used the quality and capacity of the existing roads.

Overtaking on Ugandan roads is riskier than never before because there is no enough space for a vehicle to overtake another. This is why those who try to do it sometimes end up causing accidents.

Skidding along the roads has also become common of recent with the Kampala-Masaka highway frequently mentioned as a slippery road that causes cars to skid. This is also a result of the road being too old and over-used which makes the tarmac so smooth losing any kind of friction that holds car tyres firm stopping them from skidding.

The problem of narrow and old roads can only be solved by the government through the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) by rehabilitating the existing roads through widening them in addition to constructing new ones to avoid over-using the few ones that are in place.

Speed humps should also be thought of and put in place in areas where they are needed like along highways where accidents usually happen. This helps to control over-speeding. Sometimes you drive a very long distance along highways without finding any speed humps. This encourages drivers to over-speed vehicles which sometimes ends up in an accident.

Unqualified drivers

There are very many drivers out there busy driving vehicles without the necessary qualifications. Most of these are young men who have exploited the loopholes in authorities regarding licensing and carting out operations to arrest them.

A lot of road accidents have been caused by these unqualified and unlicensed drivers given that most of them don’t know much about the traffic rules and also possess little skills in driving.

It may not be wrong to say that the responsibility to stop unqualified drivers majorly belongs to the traffic police who have to step up and ensure that every driver on the road is qualified and licensed to do so. Individuals are also called upon to be responsible and avoid driving cars if they don’t qualify to do so in order to save both their own lives and others.

Mechanically poor vehicles

Mechanically poor vehicles can breakdown anytime along the journey causing accidents. Some drivers have a tendency of taking long without servicing their vehicles or taking them for regular checkup by the mechanics. A car engine should always be in a good condition, while the driver should always ensure that important components like oil, water, fuel, brake fluid, are in the right amounts every time before they move the vehicle. The general body of the car should also be examined well always.

The traffic department of the police should always ensure that all cars on the road are in proper mechanical conditions while stopping all those that don’t fulfill the required mechanical standards.

Corruption

Corruption is a serious indirect cause of road accidents in Uganda. Unfortunately, this majorly involves traffic officials who should be working hard to ensure the safety of travelers along the roads. Some of these officials have gone on to accept bribes from the culprits they arrest due to bad driving and other offenses while letting them go, causing accidents later on.

This is a call for transparency and integrity among the officials to ensure that they don’t allow any driver who doesn’t qualify to drive and also not allowing any vehicle that doesn’t deserve to be on the road. There is no sum of money given that equals the human lives that are always lost through these accidents that can be controlled.

In conclusion, road accidents are such a big threat to human life in Uganda without reasonable doubt and stopping them is a collective effort of all the stakeholders. From motorists to passengers and to pedestrians and together with the authorities, we all have a role to play if we are to succeed in this struggle.

Uganda’s international diplomat Winnie Byanyima has been appointed as the new Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

Ms. Byanyima has been serving as the Executive Director of Oxfam International since January 2013.

A press statement from the UNAIDS read, “UNAIDS warmly welcomes the appointment of Winnie Byanyima as its new Executive Director. Ms. Byanyima ha more than 30 years of experience in political leadership, diplomacy, and humanitarian engagement.”

The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres appointed Ms. Byanyima as the UNAIDS Executive Director and United Nations Under-Secretary-General following a comprehensive selection process. Ms. Byanyima was finally recommended to the Secretary-General by the UNAIDS Committee of Co-sponsoring Organizations.

Ms. Byanyima said she is honored to be joining the UNAIDS and said that she understands the challenge ahead in her new position.

“I am honored to be joining UNAIDS as the Executive Director at such a critical time in the response to HIV. The end of AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 is a goal that is within the world’s reach, but I do not underestimate the scale of the challenge ahead. Working with all its partners, UNAIDS must continue to speak up for the people left behind and champion human rights as the only way to end the epidemic.” Said Byanyima.

Speaking about Ms. Byanyima, Mr. Guterres acknowledged her vast experience in working with several international agencies.

“Ms. Byanyima brings a wealth of experience and commitment in harnessing the power of governments, multilateral agencies, the private sector and civil society to end the AIDS epidemic around the world.” Said Guterres.

Before being appointed as the Executive Director of Oxfam in 2013, Ms. Byanyima served as the Director of Gender and Development at the United Nations Development Programme for seven years.

Winnie Byanyima’s Profile

Background and education

Winifred Byanyima was born on 13 January 1959 in Mbarara District, Uganda to Boniface and Gertrude Byanyima.

Byanyima attended Mount Saint Mary’s College Namagunga in Mukono district for high school before going to the University of Manchester in the UK where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering.

With this academic award, Byanyima became the first female Ugandan to become an aeronautical engineer. She later obtained a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Cranfield University where she specialized in energy conservation.

Professional career

Byanyima worked as a flight engineer for Uganda Airlines following the completion of her training as an aeronautical engineer.

Byanyima left her job and joined the armed struggle in 1981 following the declaration of the bush war by Yoweri Museveni. Both Byanyima and her husband Kiiza Besigye were combatants in the National Resistance Army (NRA) during the war.

After the NRA won the war in 1986, Byanyima was appointed as Uganda’s ambassador to France in 1989 up to 1994. She was a member of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Uganda Constitution in 1995.

Between 1994 and 2004, Byanyima served as a Member of Parliament representing Mbarara Municipality for two terms.

After her tenure in Parliament, Byanyima was appointed director of the Directorate of Women, Gender and Development at the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In November 2006, she was appointed director of the Gender Team in the Bureau of Development Policy at UNDP where she served until January 2013 when she was appointed Executive Director of Oxfam International.

Marriage and children

Winnie Byanyima is married to Kiiza Besigye, an opposition politician in Uganda and former president of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) political party in Uganda. The couple has only one child, a son named Anselm.

Liverpool and Norwich to kick off the new Premier League season

Football fans around the world especially those who follow the English Premier League will be excited to hear that the new season, 2019/2020 is finally starting today.

Liverpool and newly promoted Norwich City will play the first fixture of the new season tonight as Anfield and both clubs will be looking to register a strong start to the campaign.

What should fans look out for in the new season?

Introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR)

The English Premier League is one of the last leagues among the five major European Leagues to embrace the new technology of VAR since its introduction 3 years ago.

The Football Association (FA) has finally accepted to introduce the technology in the 2019/20 Premier League season.

The VAR will be always come to into play whenever the referee deems it necessary to consult to make decisions in key moments of the game.

Among the key areas where the VAR will be consulted include deciding on goals, penalties, red cards and mistaken identity.

New additions, new strength

All the major sides in the English top flight with a huge following worldwide have strengthened their squads in this summer’s transfer window with some pulling up some exciting signings to give their fans so much anxiety.

Both Manchester United and Arsenal have made incredible signings with United bringing in Harry Maguire from Leicester City at a world record fee for a defender (80 million pounds). United have also recruited young right-back Aaron-Wan-Bissaka and talented young winger Daniel James from Crystal Palace and Swansea respectively.

Arsenal have also broken their transfer record by signing highly rated winger Nicolas Pepe from Lille, France at 72 million pounds. The Gunners have also added David Luiz and Kieran Tierney to strengthen their defence while Dani Ceballos has joined on a season-long loan from Real Madrid as a temporary replacement of Aaron Ramsey and young Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli has also joined.

Defending Champions Manchester City have also strengthened their squad to stand as a team to beat by bringing in Spanish midfielder Rodri from Atletico Madrid and defender Joao Cancelo from Juventus.

European champions and last year’s runners up Liverpool have not done much business this summer though their squad still looks strong and intact and they will be hoping to pick up from where they stopped last season to challenge for the tittle.

Chelsea have also not enjoyed this summer’s transfer business given their transfer ban though they managed to sign Mateo Kovacic on a permanent deal from Real Madrid. They have also been boosted by the in-coming of talented American Forward Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund whom they had signed in January. New manager Frank Lampard will hope that his squad remains competitive like last season to fight for some Silverware despite losing some key players like Eden Hazard and David Luiz.

Tottenham have also enjoyed one of their best transfer markets after the acquisition of some exciting talents in Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon, Giovani Lo Celso on loan from Real Betis and Ryan Sessegnon from Fulham.

Other clubs have also strengthened well in the transfer window with some like Everton, Leicester and Wolves hoping to break into top six this season.

Will Manchester City make it three in a row?

It is now 10 years since 2009 when Manchester United became the last side to win three Premier League titles consecutively between 2007 and 2009. However, this record may be broken by their rivals Manchester City who look determined to add a third title in a row. City are the winners of the previous two campaigns and if they get this one, then their dominance of the league will be justified.

Will this be Liverpool’s season finally?

Last season Liverpool came so close to winning their first-ever Premier League title but they were unfortunate to lose it to Manchester City by just one point having registered a record of 97 points for runners up. If the Reds can reach that level this season, who knows, it may be just enough for to be crowned champions.

How will Frank Lampard fare in his debut season as Chelsea manager?

As the new season kicks off, all eyes will be set on Frank Lampard, Chelsea’s new manager who came as a replacement of Maurizio Sarri. Lampard was very successful as a Chelsea player before he left the club in 2014 to join US club New York City, Manchester City and later start his managerial career at Derby County.

Lampard has come in at a very tricky time at Chelsea when the club is under a ban to sign new players for at least two transfer windows and he will need to use the available players in the best way possible if he is to register any success for the club in his debut season as manager.

Will Solskjaer manage to bring back Manchester United into the top four?

Another manager in the hotspot this season will Manchester United’s Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who has a huge task ahead of him to bring back the Red Devils into the top four this season or even contest for the title.

United finished sixth last season 32 points behind winners Manchester City and 5 points behind Tottenham who finished fourth and Solskjaer will be hoping his team can bridge that gap this season to secure champions League football again.

Arsenal revolution?

This is going to be Arsenal’s fourth consecutive season in Europa League and this means no champions league football. However, this bad history may be about the change following the Gunners ambitious transfer business this time.

The Gunners have made some promising deals in the transfer window and now their squad looks much stronger than the previous few seasons. The acquisition of talented players like Nicolas Pepe, Dani Ceballos, Kieran Tierney, David Luiz and Gabriel Martinelli is expected to lift the club to an advanced level.

A top-four finish will be the Gunners main target this season so that they can restore champions league football and if they can do better than that it will be their bonus.

Will the top six be shaken up this time?

Last season there was a big gap between the top six and those teams that occupied the following positions. Wolves were seventh but were 9 points behind Manchester United in the sixth.

Clubs like Everton, Wolves and Leicester City who tried to break into the top six last season will be striving to find that breakthrough this term given their ambitious transfer business. They recruited strongly and this sounds a warning to any top six-member who may slip up.

How will the relegation battle be?

Aston Villa, Norwich and Sheffield United are the three promoted side in this season’s campaign and they will be expected to do their best to survive in the top flight.

Last season’s survivors like Brighton, Southampton and Burnley might have learned a good lesson that they have to take all their chances in order to maintain their position otherwise any small mistake may see them being eclipsed.

However, as we start the new season, the relegation battle will be much open and it is just a matter of who will slip up and then they will see their door into the Championship next season.

Who will win the golden boot?

Last season was record-breaking in terms of the golden boot winner with three players sharing the prize having all netted 22 goals. The winners included Arsenal’s Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Liverpool duo Sadio Mane and Mohamad Salah.

Potential contenders included Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero who missed out by just one goal, Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy.

This race is open again this time and who knows, may be one of the above may take it or we may end up seeing another surprise striker coming up to claim it. Let’s watch this space.

The Kabaka of Buganda Kingdom Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II today marks his 26th coronation anniversary at Nkumba University, Entebbe.

The coronation celebrations kicked off yesterday with the Kabaka visiting the headquarters of Mamba and Ffumbe clans in Busiro, one of the 18 counties that make the Buganda Kingdom which is also hosting this year’s 26th coronation anniversary.

According to the kingdom officials, this year’s coronation anniversary aims at promoting education and healthcare among the people in Buganda Kingdom. This has been evident as several healthcare programs have been arranged in different parts of the kingdom offering services like Hepatitis B testing and vaccination, HIV testing and counseling, among others.

This year’s celebrations have also been graced by the presence of the Sultan of Sokoto Caliphate in Nigeria who came with a delegation as a special guest of Kabaka Mutebi.

The Kingship of Buganda was restored in 1993 and the coronation of Kabaka Muwenda Mutebi II took place on 31st July that year at Nagalabi Buddo currently in Wakiso district. The Central government under president Museveni decided to restore the Kingship of Buganda after it had been abolished by former President Milton Obote in 1966 forcing the then king Edward Muteesa II, father of Mutebi to be exiled in England where he later died.

Over the 26 years under Kabaka Mutebi’s reign, the Kingdom of Buganda has registered several achievements including the successful restoration of administrative units at all levels of the kingdoms like counties, sub-counties, villages, and clans. The kingdom has also been able to set up several media houses like radios Television and a telecom company.

Economically the Kingdom has set up several commercial buildings including Masengere at Bulanga Mengo, the main headquarters of the kingdom, Muganzirwaza at Katwe in Kampala, among others. Several development projects have been promoted by the kingdom including cooperatives, donation of agricultural inputs like coffee to farmers as well as promoting saving groups among the youth.

On the tradition and cultural note, the Kingdom has successfully restored the Kasubi tombs (the burial ground for the kings of Buganda) that had been completely burnt down but now they stand in a more modern version. This has not only helped to uphold the culture and the history of Buganda but also promoted tourism that fetches revenue for the kingdom.

In addition to setting up supportive measures, Kabaka Mutebi is always heard in his several speeches calling upon the youth and the young people in Buganda to ensure they attain education as well as living healthy lives. His effort to fight against HIV among the youth saw him being recognized by the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/Aids (Unaids) in 2017 who appointed him as its goodwill ambassador in the fight against the epidemic.

While speaking during his visit to the Ffumbe clan headquarters at Bakka, Busiro county yesterday, Kabaka Mutebi called upon clan heads to be visionary leaders in order to restore the heritage and culture of the kingdom.

“The task of restoring our heritage and culture that had been destroyed, developing our people at all levels, requires visionary clan leaders because they are respected people and their respective clans are seen as role model,” said Kabaka Mutebi.

Kabaka also called upon the youth to be decisive and get involved in matters of interest.

“This is an era of competition and winners must be educated and having good conduct. Be decisive because your parents have enabled you to attend school to be useful to the entire nation,” he added.