The Saturday victory over Cape Verde at Namboole in Afcon 2019, Uganda secured a second successive qualification to the tournament. The popularity of Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, is increasingly growing from her famous and God-given talents to becoming regional and continental football giants.

The cranes secured a second successive qualification for the continent’s premium football competition after seeing off Cape Verde at Mandela national stadium Namboole following a 1-0 win thanks to striker Patrick Kaddu’s late second half header.

Prior to the match, confidence was high among both the fans and the players as the cranes needed just to avoid defeat to qualify. However, this did not stop the Cranes from putting up a strong start to the game that saw them miss out some clear cut chances against their West African Island counterparts.

The visitors also tried to respond well forcing the Ugandan goalkeeper Denis Onyango to come to the rescue on several occasions including forcing a line clear clearance from defender Murushid Jjuuko to keep the hosts in the game.

Saturday’s qualification was the second in row for Uganda after waiting for 39 years to go back into the tournament before 2017. Uganda had last participated in the finals in 1978 where they lost in the final to Ghana. The Cranes had also taken part in 1972 and 1976 competitions.

Saturday’s victory was highly praised by The Cranes coach Sebastian Desabre who thanked his players for the solid performance they displayed and added that it is the most important victory he has achieved. Goal scorer Patrick Kaddu also thanked God for allowing him to score the single goal that sealed the country’s qualification.

The victory left Uganda as Group L leaders with 13 points in five games, Tanzania and Lesotho are tied with 5 points each while Cape Verde are bottom with four points. The other fixture in the same group saw Tanzania share points with Lesotho after a one-all draw on Sunday. The last fixture in the group will be played in March next year with Uganda visiting Tanzania while Lesotho will play Cape Verde. A victory in Tanzania will see Uganda finish with a record 16 points at the qualification stage.

Uganda is now part of the thirteen nations that have secured qualification to next year’s final in Cameroon, namely; Cameroon (Hosts), Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Madagascar and Mauritania.

Uganda will be hoping for a better tournament in Cameroon next year having endured a disappointing tournament last year in Gabon.
The Cranes were placed in Group D where they only managed one point that they secured after drawing with Mali in their final group match while they lost the two opening matches to Ghana and Egypt and they became the first nation to crush out of the tournament.

First Timers
Despite a 3-1 defeat to Sudan, Madagascar had already sealed their qualification last month and they were joined by Mauritania who beat Botswana 2-1 at home as the first time participants in the tournament’s history.

Uganda, the pearl of Africa, is not only famous in sports but also in tourism activities. With over 650 mountain gorillas, the country hosts big numbers of visitors that flock her for gorilla trekking.

The fans and supporters of popular musician turned politician Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine on Saturday were entertained as they enjoyed some of their favorite music from the pop star during the Kyarenga concert at “One love beach” Busabala.

Bobi Wine who had been denied twice a chance to stage the concert at the national stadium of Nambole finally decided to host the event at his own “One love Beach” in Busabala.

The concert was hugely successful as an estimated total of 15,000 revelers turned up and enjoyed music from several top artists in the country.

Although the police had warned Bobi Wine not to turn the concert into a political rally, it gradually changed topic into the same as several musicians used the platform to declare their political ambitions and interest in political offices especially the legislature.

Several members of the opposition also attended the concert. Majority of revelers were dressed in red, a color locally popular among the opposition supporters. It was hugely a uniform of red T-shirts and red caps forming a red canopy of fans at the concert.

Musically Bobi Wine is popularly known for his politically motivating songs that include among others “Freedom” and they played a big role in rallying his fans to the concert. Having anticipated a politically entertaining atmosphere at the Busabala beach, the fans turned up in large numbers to confirm their support to the former “Ghetto President”.

Bobi Wine did not turn down his fans in that regard as he made some powerful political comments once he stepped on the stage. The popular artist turned politician was heard urging his fans to get national IDs in in order to participate in the 2021 elections. He also called upon the government to listen to the voices calling for change of leadership. He also thanked the Uganda Police for providing security during the concert and not stopping him as they have always done. Kyagulanyi added that they are peaceful people but they want to be listened to.

Before 2017, Bobi Wine was merely known as local musician majorly promoted by his political and welfare music. However in 2017, he declared his interest to run for a parliamentary seat during the Kyadondo East by-election, which he subsequently won. Since then, the musician turned out to be a leading opposition political figure majorly boosted by the fame that he had already attained as a musician.

Once he entered Parliament, Bobi Wine used his popularity among the fans to campaign for several opposition candidates who all won the various by-elections something that put him at loggerheads with the NRM government.
In September, Bobi Wine together with other three opposition members of Parliament were arrested in Arua district following the stoning of one of the President cars during the Arua Municipality Parliamentary by-election campaign.
Subsequently the legislators were charged treason and remanded to prison together with other 33 suspects. The detention of Bobi Wine and his alleged torture by security forces sparked off several protests in different parts of the country and due to increased pressure from his supporters, treason charges against him were dropped and he was also given bail. Bobi Wine turned out to be the winner after all these events as his popularity among Ugandans was increased and many started seeing him as a potential candidate for the presidency given his brave confrontation of President Museveni who has been in power for 32 years.

A sovereign loan amounting to $229.5million has been approved by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to finance the first phase of the Kampala-Jinja Expressway project.The Kampala-Jinja Expressway project is part of the government’s vision 2040 and its financing approval by the AfDB will be highly welcomed by the government and other stakeholders. The project will also be co-financed by the European Union and French Development for $400million and the private sector will finance the remaining $800million.

This mega project is expected to reinforce Uganda’s position as a regional transit hub and to support the government’s ambition to drive the country’s economy into middle-income status by 2020. In addition, the financing will also help to support the government’s second National Plan 2015-2020 that aims to improve the country’s competitiveness for sustainable wealth creation, growth and job creation.

Uganda has a 15-year National Transport Master Plan (NTMP 2008-2023) that aims at providing efficient movement facilities for both people and freight.The 95kilometer expressway project has an estimated cost of $1.55billion to be financed by both sovereign and non-sovereign facilities. Among the areas to benefit from the fund include infrastructure development, project implementation support and activities that improve community livelihoods along the route.

The project is expected to come with a variety of benefits right from its construction with about 2,000 direct and indirect jobs expected to be created during the construction process. Upon completion, it will improve economic productivity, competitiveness and regional trade and integration. Other problems to be solved include congestion in and around Kampala and the travel time between the capital and Jinja will also be reduced tremendously.

The construction project involves two phases that include the Kampala-Jinja Mainland Expressway and Kampala Southern Urban Bypass and the two projects combined form what is known as the Kampala-Jinja Expressway PPP Project.

The project also integrates a number of components including human capital development that focus on developing skills in Uganda and East Africa at large. It also aims to have over 200 PPP specialists to work in graduate/professional placements by 2028.

The construction of the Kampala-Jinja Expressway will be a great addition to Uganda’s road network which is her major mode of transport and a key player in unlocking her trade and economic potential within the East African community. The route will complement the long-standing Kampala-Jinja highway that has been very instrumental in the region’s trade especially in the last 20 years. The route constantly experiences traffic overload with over 1,000 vehicles per hour per lane.

The expressway will be strategically located along Uganda’s Northern Corridor connecting 5 countries of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan to the marine port of Mombasa in Kenya.

The route is one of the most important in the region’s trade handling 30 percent of Burundi’s international traffic, 60 percent of Rwanda’s and almost 100 percent for Uganda’s imports and exports via Mombasa port.

The project corresponds well with Uganda’s Country’s Strategy Paper 2017-2021, under its “Infrastructure Development for Industrialization” program. It also correlates with the Bank’s Ten –year Strategy (2013-2022) and consistent with three of its high five priorities: “Integrate Africa, Industrialize Africa, and improve the quality of life of the people of Africa”.

Also, the construction of the kampala-jinja highway will help to promote Uganda tours to Jinja especially to the source of the nile for boat cruising, kayaking, nature walks in Mabira and other related activities. Day excursions to jinja complement other tourism activities such as gorilla trekking in Bwindi/Mgahinga gorilla national parks, game viewing and chmipanzee trekking which together make a complete Uganda safari package.

The African Development Bank is very instrumental in Uganda’s transport sector and it has been one of the leading development partners in the sector.

Uganda, the pearl of Africa, just as her nick-name suggests, has for long been known to be more productive in the tourism industry with her incredible wildlife experiences she offers to her travelers that can hardly be found anywhere else in the world. These include the unrivaled and exclusive gorilla safaris in Bwindi and Mgahinga parks not mentioning the other enthralling wild activities in her numerous national parks and wild reserves around the country.

However with the advancing technological waves increasingly driving the world into the tech-direction, Uganda is also getting on the receiving end of its benefits starting with the telecom industry.

American Telecom Company CTI Africa was yesterday unveiled by the government to start assembling smart phones in Uganda. While at the National Enterprises Corporation (NEC) in Bugolobi, Kampala, State minister for Investment and Privatization Ms. Evelyn Anite unveiled the Company’s Africa arm, LifeMobile to start assembling the phones.

The minister commented that as government they are very excited that CTI Africa is going to start assembling phones in Uganda. She added that Ugandans are carrying so many phones but none is manufactured here, so if Ugandans buy these phones, the country will diversify its economy because the dollars that would be spent on importing smart phones can be used here. Ms. Anite said that the government, through NEC has already allocated LifeMobile a site on 6th street in Industrial Area to set up their assembling plant.
The minister also concluded by saying that president Museveni will launch the first LifeMobile smart phone early next year.

The chief executive officer of CTI Africa, Mr. Michael Landau said that the assembling will help develop specialized applications to improve healthcare, mobile banking, insurance, microfinance and education services. The company is planning to invest $10million into the venture, which is expected to create over 400 jobs during their first phase of operation.

However, this will not be the first time LifeMobile is operating in Uganda because the company already has prospective partnerships with several local companies that include Jubilee Insurance for insurance services, Jumia Uganda for e-commerce, Ecobank and Microfinance Support Center for e-banking. Others include Medical Concierge and Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau for healthcare services.

According to Mr. Landau, the company is planning to build applications on their smart phones that are going to be very important in improving people’s lives. These apps will include healthcare, insurance, banking and e-commerce. He describes LifeMobile as the “transformation tool for the next generation” because they expect the smart phone to attract many big companies to Uganda.
Representatives from LifeMobile displayed three smart phone models during the unveiling ceremony that included low range, mid-range and a tablet and said that the applications on these smart phones will be piloted in Buikwe district.

According to the company representatives, the firm’s first smart phones to be produced in Uganda will be released between January and March 2019 and they added that the company has already received orders for about 75,000 smart phones. The company is also working on arrangements where people can buy on hire purchase in order to help more Ugandans acquire the smart phone easily.

Ms. Anite assured the investors about the government’s plan to protect the locally assembled phones against similar imported sets. She said that through “The buy Uganda, Build Uganda policy, the government shall put tax barriers for importation of products similar to those produced locally.

Maj Gen James Mugira who is the managing director of NEC, a body responsible for handling all government partnerships said that the arrival of LifeMobile is a symbolic moment for Uganda. He thanked the company representatives for choosing Uganda and added that they will entrust the company with the initiative to build a smart community and all the full support it needs.

Fly Uganda to Launch Scheduled Flights to Bwindi
Have you known it yet? Fly Uganda has made your gorilla safari to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park simple and quick. With effect from 2nd November 2018, fly Uganda will operate scheduled flights from Kajjansi to Kihihi airstrip in Bwindi. This will save travelers long hours of driving which at times have hindered travelers with short trips from trekking mountain gorillas. Bwindi is located 550 kilometers from Entebbe airport roughly 9-10 hours of driving. The introduction of direct flights from Entebbe to Bwindi is therefore good news, which guarantee increased Uganda gorilla safaris to this impenetrable forest. Bwindi is a home to half of the world’s mountain gorillas with 17 gorilla families available for trekking everyday. Also, Scheduled flights to Bwindi will enable short Uganda gorilla trips like 1 days Uganda gorilla trip unlike before. Fly Uganda is a junior of Kampala executive aviation (KEA) who is planning to launch new routes to the remote areas in Uganda. The new plans are aimed at promoting domestic tourism in Uganda through easy access.

The fly Uganda flights will operate 3 times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday setting off from Kajjansi airstrip between Entebbe and Kampala capital city. Travelers will either fly from Kajjansi to Kihihi airstrip in kabale or Kajjansi to Kisoro airstrip. From there, travelers will be picked up by their drives guides and transferred to gorilla trekking starting point for this magical encounter. The distance from kihihi airstrip to Bwindi entrance gate takes roughly an hour drive, which give travelers enough time to prepare and get ready for the hikes.

For the past year, domestic flights in Uganda have been operated by Aero link connecting to Murchison falls, Kidepo valley, Queen Elizabeth, Rwenzori Mountains and Bwindi forest national parks. Fly Uganda will therefore complement Aero link in promoting easy access to Bwindi and other tourism destinations in the pearl of Africa. Kisoro airstrip serves as the base for those who would like to go for gorilla tracking in the southern sector. Serving the Nkuringo and Rushaga sector in southern Bwindi forest as well as Mgahinga gorilla national park.

Flying time
To avoid missed flights, potential travelers are reminded to keep time. On every operating day, flights will depart from kajjansi at 08h00, arriving in kihihi at 09h30. The return flights will depart kihihi at 10h00 arriving in kajjansi at 11h30.

How much will it cost?
You should not be scared of the costs. Fly Uganda has offered you best prices with quality services. The flight will cost US$236 one way covering fees and taxes plus all other in flight services. The low quality services do not compromise the quality of services, which give travelers the best pre trekking experience.

When to book a flight?
Just like other airlines, fly Uganda encourage all their customers to book at least 2 days prior the actual day. The reason for early booking is to ensure timely and quality service delivery.

About Fly Uganda
Much as it has not been in operations, Fly Uganda is the Kampala Aero club and flight training center based in kajjansi. It was established in 1997 majorly to promote aircraft operations and chartering. Fly Uganda is based at Kajjansi airstrip on your way from Entebbe to Kampala.

What makes Bwindi exceptional?
Bwindi forest national park is undeniably a first priority for most Uganda safaris attracting the highest number of travelers to southwestern Uganda. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi is Uganda’s most don activity which attract hundred’s of travelers to this impenetrable forest. The forest is a home to 17 gorilla families and is one of the two gorilla destinations together with the Virunga massif. Interestingly, gorilla permits in Bwindi costs $600, each, which makes Uganda gorilla tours affordable, compared to Rwanda. The other populations of mountain gorillas live in the Virunga massif, which is shared by Mgahnga, Volcanoes and Virunga national parks in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo respectively.

In general, Bwindi forest is an exceptional tourism destination you cannot afford missing out on yours Uganda Safari. Fly to Bwindi, meet face to face with the endangered species and Fly Uganda To Launch Scheduled Flights to Bwindi with fly Uganda and enjoy this life changing gorilla encounter.

The new bridge links Hong Kong to Macau and the Chinese city of Zhuhai.

The President of China Xi Jinping and the leaders of Hong Kong and Macau on Tuesday attended the opening ceremony in Zhuhai of the 55km bridge.

The project that cost about $20bn started nine years ago and it was supposed to be completed back in 2016 but it was extended due to repeated delays.

During the opening ceremony, digital fireworks were exploded on a big screen as the President and other leaders watched. Limited bus services are expected to begin on Wednesday.

The spectacular bridge that was built using 400,000 tones of steel is capable of withstanding earthquakes and typhoons according to its designers. It crosses the sea of the Pearl River delta with about 30km of its total length while another 6.7km section was constructed in the middle dipping into an undersea tunnel that runs between two artificial Islands to allow ships through.
There are link roads, viaducts and land tunnels connecting Zhuhai and Hong Kong to the main bridge.

The construction of the bridge comes as the partial fulfillment of China’s plan to create a greater bay area that includes Hong Kong, Macau and nine other cities in Southern China, an area which currently inhabits over 68 million people. The bridge is going to ease travelling between Zhuhai and Hong Kong with the reduction of up to three and a half hours of travelling time between the two areas.

However, there is limited access in the transportation along the bridge. Those who want to cross it are required to obtain special permits that are allocated by a quota system while all vehicles will pay a toll. There is no public transport and rail link at the bridge, only private shuttle buses can access it.

Unlike the initial plans by the authorities to allow 9,200 vehicles cross the bridge daily, the estimates were later lowered with the construction of new transport networks around the bridge.

In order to control accidents on the bridge, there are special cameras installed to be on the lookout for drivers who may appear not to be sober and to conduct other checks. Anti-terror police patrols are on alert to help counter potential terror attacks.

Although in Hong Kong and Macau cars are driven on the left, the drivers will have to change the side at the bridge since it is in Chinese territory. Special merger channels were built to help these drivers cope up with this.

There have been some negative aspects that came with the construction of the bridge concerning the environment. According to environmental groups, the project is likely to have caused serious harm to marine life in the surrounding waters with the critically rare Chinese white dolphin feared to be the major victim. According to the Hong Kong branch of the World Wide Fund (WWF), there has been a drastic decrease in the number of dolphins seen in Hong Kong waters from 148 to 47 in the period when the bridge was being constructed.

According to Chinese officials, the bridge is expected to recoup its construction costs by generating up to $1.44 trillion for the economy though some doubts were cast about how this will be possible since not many cars are using it.

The president of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the Japanese foreign minister Mr. Masahisa Sato yesterday commissioned the brand new cable stay bridge over the River Nile in Jinja

The new bridge, which is expected to last for 120 years, is linked to the main land by a new 0.8km road that has been constructed from the Nile Breweries plant roundabout and a 1km surfaced road that connects back to the old highway at the junction of Igar fuel station.

This mega project is expected to provide a safer and modern crossing as an alternative to the old Owen falls Dam Bridge was fully funded by the government of Japan for Shs313b.
The crossing provided by the bridge at Jinja highway is so vital to Uganda because it is an import-export route going up to Kenya. Uganda being a landlocked country relies heavily on this route that connects to the Mombasa port in Kenya, which handles most of Uganda’s export and import traffic.

The completed project also provided hands on skills to over 50 Ugandan engineering students who were training as interns in addition to very many Ugandans who were employed as engineers, expatriates, crushers and laborers during the four years of the project.

The engineers of the project say that they are very excited by its completion and also reassure Ugandans that they did the best quality assurance and rigorous quality control and tested the construction material with state-of-the art equipment both within and abroad from Singapore and Japan.

The main constructors of the bridge Zenitaka Corporation and Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company from Japan and South Korea respectively erected to name it The source of Nile Bridge due its proximity to the upstream point where River Nile flows out of Lake Victoria.

The bridge is supported by stay cables which according to Dr. Hiroshi Akiyama, a Zenitaka engineer, hold and hang the girder and support both human and vehicle traffic weight.
Lightening arresters have also been installed from the deck to each tip of the pylon tower to protect against lightening.

According to transport minister Ms. Azuba, there will be no toll on users of the new bridge unlike the recently commissioned Entebbe expressway that connects Kampala to Entebbe Airport. The minister also added that the old bridge astride Owen Falls Dam will be used by pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicycle riders.

Officials from the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) said that the new bridge will spur Uganda’s economic integration, facilitate its integration with regional neighbors, provide safer travel and enhance tourism.

There was huge excitement among the residents near the bridge when a trial illumination was conducted on Monday night that lit up the sky by the 72 stay cables that are powered by the 202 Lighht-Emitting Diodes (LED) bulbs at the base of the cables. This kind of illumination will be conducted only during national ceremonies through a computersised lighting system and it is billed to be a huge tourist attraction according to officials.

Ms. Azuba says that the new 0.8km road that has been constructed from the Nile Breweries plant will be used to divert all motorised traffic to the new bridge leaving the old one via Nalubale Dam for motor cyclists.

For safety of the bridge and accident control purposes, there are four cameras that have been installed to take photograph of each approaching vehicle while a truck measured in motion to be overloaded will automatically trigger the cameras to photograph the number plate of the truck. The cameras will then send the data captured to Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) Central Information System for enforcement.

America hip-hop star and rapper Kanye Omari West has confirmed his trip to Uganda after telling journalists in the United States that he will be heading to the Pearl of Africa to complete his Yandhi album.

Kanye West was quoted in video circulating on social media saying that “we are going into the deep sea” and mentioning Uganda as his destination. He added, “We haven’t seen 90% of our world. We are going to Africa-Uganda.

While in an interview with TMZ last week, Kanye said he needed to “go and grab the soil so that his fans can hear nature while we are recording”. He revealed that the Album lacked a few African elements before it could be released hence the need to visit Africa.

“It is just a full Ye album and those five albums I dropped earlier were like superhero rehabilitation and now the alien Ye is fully back in mode…We are going to Africa in two weeks to record. I felt this energy when I was in Chicago. I felt the roots. We have to go to what is known as Africa”, said Kanye West.

While in Uganda, we understand that Kanye West will be staying at Chobe Safari Lodge in Murchison Falls national park. Chobe is one of the best lodging facilities in the country with amazing views for tourists. The hip-hop rapper will be staying at this lodge for a week and will be leaving on October 19th.

It is not yet clear whether Kanye West will part with his wife super socialite Kim Kardashian for his stay in Uganda. The celebrated couple got married in 2014 now with children already including 2 daughters North Nori West born in 2013, Chicago West born this year and a son Saint West born in 2015.

The rapper has recently been a subject to controversies following his slavery comments on TMZ TV where he said that slavery was a choice. On Thursday Kanye also made more headlines when he had a meeting with US president Donald Trump and endorsed his “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) campaign. He wore Trump’s MAGA hat and said that it made him feel like a superman.