PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has welcomed some of the most clamorous personalities in the world. He has met former US President Bill Clinton, George Bush II. He rubbed shoulders with Prince Charles before hosting, uganda tours  wining and dining with her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2007.Then what was so special on Saturday? What was behind his spirited speech and the toast?

Speaking before unveiling the World Cup trophy at 11:00pm, Museveni said although the arrival of the trophy was a historic moment, the cup symbolised much more.

“The most important issue here isn’t the cup but what it symbolises to kids and all Ugandans,” Museveni told excited dignitaries that included FIFA’s representative Hedi Hemal.

The others included FUFA boss Lawrence Mulindwa, Coca Cola’s managing director Basil Gadzios and the head of Coca Cola’s East and Central Africa business unit, Nathan Kalumbu.

The trophy arrived at Entebbe airport at 7:00pm on Saturday. \

The 18-carat solid-gold and malachite base trophy weighing 6.2kg had been flown from Kenya aboard a Coca-Cola-branded chartered plane.

Education and sports minister Namirembe Bitamazire welcomed it to a reception that paralysed the airport.
It then made its way to the VIP lounge en route to the State House, where Museveni joined in the celebration.

FIFA regulations allow only the African heads of state and winners to touch the coveted trophy.

Museveni hailed Coca Cola for sponsoring the trophy tour that has given Ugandans the rare opportunity to view the symbol of world football supremacy.

“The trophy epitomises football efforts in the whole world. I used to play football, and it’s very healthy. It’s a good lure to burn fat. The ball that is chased is a bait that makes you exercise. If you run without aiming at something, you do not run too much,” Museveni said.
He added that the trophy would motivate the youth towards striving for global success.

“Our youth will definitely be interested in associating with this football movement,” he stated.

“I am happy that South Africa were given the offer of hosting the World Cup We will use it to mobilise people into the sport.”

Uganda was the sixth nation in East and Central Africa and the 37th in Africa to host the trophy on its 70-day tour across the continent.

The four-month tour, which started in Egypt on September 24 will end in Cape Town, South Africa on December 3.

The World Cup in perspective
FORGET the Olympics; no other sporting event captures the world’s imagination like the World Cup and its prestigious solid-gold trophy.

Ever since the first competition was held in Uruguay in 1930, the football tournament has continuously grown in both popularity and prestige.

For Ugandans, the trophy’s arrival on Saturday night was a dream come true given the fact that for the last  Uganda safaris  three decades, the country’s attempts at making an appearance at the world event and with it the priceless chance of holding the trophy, had been a heartbreak.

“I am proud of Coca Cola. When would this trophy have ever come here? I have not touched it but seeing it is good enough,” said Musa Kafeero, one of the thousands of lucky fans that thronged the Lugogo Cricket Oval on Sunday.

November 15 might have started as any other ordinary calendar date for most Ugandans, but it will remain far entrenched in the hearts of those that took souvenir photos with the trophy and viewed special 3-D movies showcasing memorable gorilla safaris  moments of the World Cup.

“It has certainly inspired me. It makes you feel like walking onto the pitch immediately and try to play your way to the tournament,” Uganda Cranes defender Simeon Masaba stated after a close view of the golden trophy.

The tournament’s prize money totals $355 million (about sh700b), more than $25 million for the winner alone.

Despite the billions invested, the main focus of the World Cup remains the same – the glistening golden trophy that attracted businessmen, lawyers and prominent government officials for two days.

Murchison falls national park is largest wildlife park in Uganda. It is located in the north west part of the country. The great River Nile passes through this park and forms thunderous gigantic falls referred to as Murchison falls named By one of the old explorers Henry Stanley Manton. The park is now enrolled among those places where fishermen internationally converge  for fishing  tournaments.

 

Once or twice an specific time of the year is reserved  where anglers converge and compete among themselves to catch the Nile perch specie type of fish.  This type of fish could be the largest one can find in fresh waters. A grown up Nile Perch can weigh up to 300 kg . However the common ones range from  50kg - 150kg.

 

At specific day , the strident blast of the starters whistle at barely- light 6.30am in the morning. All anglers well armed with fishing rods ,lures, gaffs, and  bait , they set off up river the 13 kilometers  towards the falls dodging schools of hippos and massive crocodiles that frequent these wild waters. Even the regular anglers of this park will marvel at the elephants, buffalo, lion, giraffe, that adorn the river banks and the teeming birdlife that squawks and calls in indignation of the strange creatures floating on their river. It is such attractions that make this park unique and  famous for Uganda safaris.

 

You do not have to miss this if you are sport fisherman . Will enjoy a lot as many as 20 boats ranging from small to medium boats all will form  frantic activity. Apart from Nile perch, there other fish species like cat fish, angara,  grown up tilapia etc.

 

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) the custodian of Uganda national parks should jealously guard this park and take it treasure to Uganda. There are not many national parks in the world where you can legally sport fish and  100kg fish in weight. Provided UWA continues to protect this park as an incredible asset where sport fishermen can catch fish and immediately release all big game alive   this will make tourist flock to Uganda for Uganda tours as well as  providing a good habitat for this unique fish species and wildlife. At the moment , lots of oil have been explored and this park seem to form one the biggest reserves of oil in the near future.  So the wildlife existence  is likely to be in balance at the option of making money from the oil exploration.

 

Fred Bukenya

Bemused residents looking at Portuguese tourists Pedro Lobo do Vale and wife Fatima kissing shortly after the plane landed on the highway

Pilot Steve Considine and the passengers, Pedro Lobo do Vale and his wife, Fatima, were unhurt and visibly relieved. Residents came to the rescue of the group and pushed the plane from the road towards Jireh High School.

“We don’t know what happened,” said Pedro Lobo do Vale. “We just saw the plane going down abruptly and the pilot directed it towards the road which he used as a runway.He didn’t speak to us until we came out.”

The tourists arrived in Uganda on Monday and were touring the country on a Uganda safari. “This is an emergency but it is a wonderful experience that we never had before,” said Fatima. “We never came across so many children and native Ugandans and mixed with them so freely.”

The pilot said the plane was about 2,000 metres above the ground when it developed technical problems.

“The engine could not respond. Probably it was failure of the fuel pump to supply the engine.”  Spotting spills of fuel below the left wing of the Cessna plane, he remarked: “This could have been a leakage that led to the low supply of fuel to the engine.” It was the first time he had to do an emergency landing, he added.

By press time, the plane was surrounded by curious revellers. “I am confused on what to do with the passengers. I have called my boss in Kampala to come with a technical team to assist me,” Considine said.

 

 

 

 

 

Gorilla revenues have risen from zero shilling in 1990 to Ug Shs 6.6 billion (about$3.3 million) from gorilla permits alone in 2008, accounting for 50.4% of the internally generated revenue for Uganda Wildlife Authority.

 

While launching the year of the Gorilla 2009 last Friday UWA Executive Director Moses Mapesa said the figures are bound to rise to UShs 10 billion (about $5.1 million )  when they add a new gorilla groups to be habituated .The tourism industry contributed over US$450 million in 2008 of which gorilla tourism alone  was responsible for $225 million. Mapesa warned communities in the gorilla areas of south western Uganda to stop adopting the touristic animals as domestic pets.

 

Uganda gorillas   have proven to be playing a strong role in tourism development and have marketed the country as a globally competitive tourist destination .At the moment the industry accounts for 17% of available job opportunities countrywide.

 

Officiating at the function Uganda’s state minister for Trade and Tourism Mr GaggawalaWambuzi said there s no effective legal framework to ensure that gorillas are protected  Wambuzi said gorilla habitats are surrounded by communities (people )who still think they can improve their lives  economically through destroying the environment . Gorillas are also vulnerable to human diseases which have posed a major threat to the most valuable animal in the tourism industry. The reason for celebrating The Year Of The  Gorillas stems from the fact that they are globally endangered live in a fragile habitat are vulnerable to human disease infections and are often adversely affected by armed conflicts.   

Uganda has more than 50%  of mountain gorillas still surviving in the wild. These can be viewed in the national parks of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest  and Mgahinga national parks all located in the southern west of the country.

By Fred Bukenya

 Africa is the oldest continent on earth having remained in place since the breakup of panacea 200million years ago. The array of ecosystem and organisms contained with in its forest rivers deserts, wetlands, mountains, and savannas is unequalled in the world. These ecosystems and the organism they host are under siege. Its these ecosystems that African tourism has been surviving.  The human species evolved at the margin of the equatorial forests of Africa and people have substantially influenced African ecosystems for hundreds of thousands of years. Early hunter-gatherers used fire to turn dry woodland areas into savanna grassland for example.

But the frantic colonial exploitation of resources that characterized the slave, rubber, and ivory trades and the introduction of the exotic crop species that made rain forest agriculture possible (such as bananas, maize, cassava, taro, and Bata) threw African environmental change into a new gear. The following are major causes of  resource depletion

 

The deforestation that has taken years on African soils has caused more harm .

There has probably been more African destruction in the past 60 years than in the preceding 10,000 while timber harvesting in virgin forests is often limited to anew commercially valuable tree species only about one tree per hectare is removed by most loggers and does not itself destroy a forest the logging loads, left behind by the timber industry enable other, more harmful incursions the roads. The roads provide deep forest access to hunters seeking bush meat.

 

Drought and civil wars also contributed significantly to forest degradation as they drive refugees away from their traditional lands and livings into new forested areas where only living to be made is from slash-and –burn agriculture and hunting for bush meat increases in urbanization and industraliasation have also raised the demand for wood products especially firewood and charcoal. Consumption of forest products nearly doubled in Africa during the period from 1970to 1994. Africa lost 39 million hectares of tropical forest during the 1980s and another 10million hectares by 1995.

Unless energy alternatives to fire wood can be found as well as alternative sources of income for people whose lives depend on forest consumption deforestation will continue to accelerate.

 

Wildlife which surpports tourism like gorillas, lion,chimpanzee and other game viewing  is under siege as forests, Savanah grassland  shrink and deserts grow wildlife populations are forced into islands of habitat. Increasingly large and under nourished human populations desperate for arable land to cultivate surround these islands with short lived farms and penetrate them in search of wild animals to eat or sell environmental degradation in Africa is exponential the worth things get the faster they get still worse.

Thousands of tons of wild animals are hunted every year both by commercial poachers and by subsistence hunters Elephant are taken for their ivory rhinos for their hones and gorillas for their hands and feet

But the bush meat trade hunting for food has an even greater impact on wildlife populations many of which are already balanced on the blink of extinction According to the convention on International Trade in Endangered species  (CITES) list hunting of wild life for food is a major problem for 30 end geared African species including forest antelopes monkeys elephant, chimpanzees and gorillas. These have supported safari tourism on African soils and no wonder the word safari is more african than can be heard else where on this earth.

 

If Africa is to retain God given treasure on this planet , authorities need to double their efforts in curbing dangers that are likely to finish our resource. Its pity that  we Africans the direct beneficiaries have done less to stop this than outsiders who have put their feet down like the European union, and other world organizations like UNESCO that made a lot efforts to make sure that our national parks can survive.

 

By Fred Bukenya .

There can be few destinations on earth where one can expect to find almost 612 avian species in one park alone Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park. 451 species have been recorded in the Murchison Falls National Park. These two parks alone are among the richest protected areas to be found any where on Earth. Uganda is the richest country for birds in Africa. And this immense volume and diversity occurs miraculously in a space, which keen birders can cover in a relatively short visit. Bwindi is believed to hold the richest faunal community in East Africa including over 346 species of forest bird species. In order to have lifetime birding safari holiday at least you need to visit Uganda and explore its adventure birding vacations

 

Lake Mburo swamp, northern western and southern areas are fringed with dense stands of the giant sedge cyperus papyrus. This seemingly monotonous habitat in fact harbors an amazing number of bird species and there are in fact six birds here that live only in such swamps the so-called papyrus endemics. The papyrus gonolek is one such bird .It has a yellow nape and crown black wings and red breast and long toes to allow it to grip the thick papyrus stalks.

 

These parks recorded species of shoebill , papyrus yellow warbler,African finifoot, saddle billed stork, brown chested wattled plover, Carruther’s cisticola, Tabora cisticola, great snipe, Abyssinian ground hornbill many more. Birding tours in Uganda will yield much .

 

However you are more likely to hear its mellow plaintive calls than to see it.

Over all the mountains contain at least 89 species of forest bird 27% of the country’s total.

 

By Fred Bukenya

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UGANDA – The Serena Group of Hotels is set to take over management of Ranch on the Lake Country Club in Uganda under a franchise arrangement between Tourism Promotion Services (TPS) and Pearl Development Group Limited (PDGL). This will see Serena investing more funds in the tourism industry in Uganda

The country club, which will be renamed and branded as a Serena facility is currently undergoing transformation into “the region’s premier business and golfing resort; The Citadel,” according to information on the company’s website.

No official announcement or communication has been made by TPS or PDGL, the current owners of the country club but an inside source confirmed the development to East African Business Week.

“Serena is already softly running the place and we are always consulting them on a lot of things,” the source said. “Actually we no longer look at each other as competitors but rather we complement each other.”

Satyen Singh, the deputy general manager PDGL denied knowledge of a franchise arrangement between PDGL and Serena Group saying an official announcement would be made at the right time.

In Uganda, TPS, the tourism and hospitality arm of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (Akfed) owns the Kampala Serena Hotel but it is the group’s ambitions to extend its reach beyond Kampala and this arrangement is the first step in that direction.

During the opening of the Kampala Serena, His Highness The Aga Khan said it was the intention of Akfed to follow up the Kampala facility with a circuit of new resorts and safari lodges in Uganda’s countryside to complete what he called an East African travel circuit.

PDGL, which also owns civil engineering firm Cementers, has invested some US$10 million to redevelop the country club, which is located off the Entebbe-Kampala road on the shores of Lake Victoria.

Cementers, who carried out the civil works for the Kampala Serena, are undertaking the works at the country club while Symbion International; the architects who designed the Kampala Serena are providing architectural and design services.

Ranch on the Lake is located on a 350-acre serene private ranch in the undulating hills of Lweza off the Entebbe-Kampala highway. It’s on the shores of Lake Victoria and has a remarkably alluring view of Lake Victoria.

The serene country club is only a 20-minute drive from either Kampala City or Entebbe Airport.

The new additions to the facility include an 18-hole golf course (Lake Victoria Golf and Sailing Club) that has been designed by Golfplan, Fream, Dale and Raincey, US-based golf course architects.

It will also include a Marina for water sports and other water activities like fishing, a new Olympic-size swimming pool, new restaurants as well as new conference rooms.

When complete, the resort will have accommodation space of 120 deluxe suites.

Uganda has a vast coastline on Lake Victoria but almost all not developed to tap new opportunities. When this is done will increase on Uganda packages towards increased safaris to Uganda. Uganda has got the very conducive climate hot and wet throughout the year . There are chances that when these beaches are developed more tourist population will be flocking the country to enjoy such facilities. Lake Victoria has free bilharzia waters and swimming in these fresh water is real enormous.

By Fred Bukenya

Last week was the bad day for the Marabou storks that had hatched their young ones on trees along Jinja road. The City council had been directed to cut trees along the electricity lines, which were home to several Marabou storks. The older Marabou storks including the parents of the young ones patched in the nearby trees while the chicks were helplessly lying under sunshine with no sign for survival. Kampala City Council (KCC) senior Electricity Engineer said, they never intended to hurt the birds but they were told to clear trees near the electric line for safety.  Kampala is one of the areas contributing to almost a half of birding safaris in Uganda. Other places where birding can be carried out include Mabira forest, Ssesse Island, Kibale Forest National park and other National Parks, which are habitats for birds.