Uganda's Foreign Affairs Minister fronted for UN Assembly Chair

It is several months away but the next United Nations’ General Assembly, could be chaired by a Ugandan. The presidency of the Assembly is held on a regional rotational basis for a period of one year, and the next term which commences in September 2013 is the turn for Eastern Africa. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sam Kahamba Kutesa, has been fronted by government as a candidate for the position. Born in 1949, when the General Assembly had been four years in existence, Kutesa has been steering Uganda’s foreign policy since 2005 when he appointed to the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The General Assembly is one of the six principal organs of the world body and provides a forum for representation and discussion for the 193 UN member states on a one-state-one-vote basis on issues raised. If elected, Kutesa would be president at a time when Uganda, together with Rwanda, has been fingered by a UN report for supporting rebels in D.R. Congo which could come up for discussion in the Assembly or one of the UN organs. (Published in People in the news section, Daily Monitor, December 5 2012)

Why you need a fire drill for your home

GUMISIRIZA MWESIGYE

The shrill sound of an alarm interrupted my train of thought and distracted me from the task I was concentrating on. At first, I thought that someone somewhere in the building had accidentally triggered off the alarm or even set it off to pull off a Monday morning prank.

Being just a client at this place, I was at loss at what to do next as the people who work there seemed reluctant to leave their desks or work stations. Security officers herded us out of the building into the courtyard for the drill as the whole place was put on lockdown. There were gripes about how the fire alarms kept going off and why they should be subjected to fire drills, as security officers emphasised that it was very necessary.

At the website, answers.com, a fire drill is explained thus: “...a method of practising the evacuation of a building for a fire or other emergency. Generally, the emergency system (usually an alarm) is activated and the building is evacuated as though a real fire had occurred. Usually, the time it takes to evacuate is measured to ensure that it occurs within a reasonable length of time, and problems with the emergency system or evacuation procedures are identified to be remedied.”

Prior to this experience, I had never undergone a fire drill or, in this case, been caught up in one. But with the frequent reports of fire outbreaks in schools, business premises, markets and homes, knowing what to do in case of a fire is not only necessary but very important. It could save a life or lives.

Statistics from the Uganda Police Fire Brigade show that in January alone, there were 70 cases of fire reported in the Kampala city area and neighbouring districts. By the middle of the following month, there were 44 cases and five people injured. Basing on such figures, it is safe to guesstimate that by the end of March, there have been about 100 cases countrywide, both reported and unreported. In an earlier interview with Daily Monitor, the Training Officer at Fire Brigade Headquarters, Stephen Engwedu pointed out, “...fires in homes are caused due to negligence. They are usually caused by candles, short circuits, poorly maintained appliance, unattended to charcoal stoves, and a few arson cases.”

In some countries, fire drills in different types of places are governed by set laws, statutes or regulations. In the US, it is a requirement that fire drills are conducted at certain intervals though this varies from state to state. For instance, in some states, schools are obliged to carry out these drills once a month, others stipulate that there should be a greater frequency at the start of the school year, and in others, they should include a security drill. In UK, the Fire Precautions (Workplaces) Regulations say that all workplaces must have an emergency plan consisting of staff actions, evacuation plans and arrangements for contacting the fire brigade.

But these are countries with well developed fire and emergency response structures and systems. In Uganda, while there is a police department to cater for such emergencies, there are a number of challenges that hinder efficient response mechanisms. There are only eight towns in the country outside the capital city that have fire stations; these are Arua, Gulu, Mbale, Tororo, Jinja, Masaka, Fort Portal and Hoima. To fill the gap, there are a number of companies that sell and service equipment like fire extinguishers, fire alarms and smoke detectors. But this capacity is inadequate in face of the frequency of fire outbreaks.

One of the measures that the police have initiated is to set up a sensitisation team to educate people about protection against fires. But as Engwedu acknowledges that there are bottlenecks with such an approach. It centres on the attitude and mindset. “But people have not taken safety seriously”, he said.

Considering that 50 per cent of people who die in home fires were trying to escape when they died and that a fire can engulf a house with a few minutes from the time it started, it is only prudent that a home owner in Uganda should craft a fire drill for his or her home in case of such an emergency.

Here are general pointers on how one can do this. These cover pre-planning, an initial inspection of the home, developing a checklist, formulating a drill and the factors unique to the home that should be taken into account.

In the pre-planning stage, one should think about how the escape will be made from every room in the house, starting with the bedrooms. It is advised that the two escape routes, the second may be through a window. A decision should be made on where to assemble everyone outside once the escape has been made. In addition, define everyone’s role and allocate responsibility.

A checklist includes questions which can be developed after the home owner has performed an inspection all over the house. Though not set in stone, some questions are on safety, obstacles and potential triggers of fires: “Does a grown-up always stay in the kitchen when food is cooking on the stove?” “Are pot handles turned inward so they cannot be bumped?” “Are extension cords used safely?” “Are electrical cords in good condition, without cracks or frayed areas?” “Is there clutter in corridors and other access points?”

The first step in formulating a fire drill is a meeting with members of the household. “Hold a family meeting and discuss various ways on how you can evacuate your home safely and promptly in the event of a fire,” advises wikihow.com in its seven steps on to conduct a home fire drill.
Factors are particular to your home are vital to consider in the drill. For example, are there young children, people with disabilities or frequent visitors, times when it is a full house or is the home mostly empty?

How regularly to carry out the drill is dependent on the nature of the home but as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UW), US, points out in its general guidelines and policy: “Proper drills ensure orderly exit under control and prevent the panic that has been responsible for much of the loss of life in the major fire disasters of history.”

In the same vein, there should a record of all drills conducted as well as a critique. In the case of the fire drill that I was part of, I hope it was noted that there was reluctance in the participation. This is a potential pitfall that a home owner should take note of. In the UW guidelines, this is also noted: “If a fire exit drill is considered merely as a routine exercise....there is a grave danger that in an actual fire, the drill will fail in its intended purpose.” Worth noting is that drills should be pre-planned and pre-announced so as not to breed apprehension and cause passivity to future alarms.

A review of the exercise conducted at home with all participants is vital. It helps the persons responsible to take note of the loop holes, pitfalls and areas for improvement. In this regard, it would be only prudent that any home owner who develops a fire drill on his or her initiative to make use of the technical personnel and resources. In Uganda, the police and private service providers would be helpful.

We should be mindful of the fact that whether it is a mansion in suburbs of Kampala, a three-bedroomed house in Kasese or a manyatta in Nakapiririt, there are always resources available in the vicinity that can be used to warn of a fire or put out one. These can be a smoke detector, a whistle or a horn, a fire extinguisher, water or sand.

Published in Daily Monitor (www.monitor.co.ug), Wednesday 4 April 2012 in Homes and Design section

Going green: What that means for Ugandan homes

With climate change becoming more of a reality each passing day than the abstract idea of yesteryear and the push to be environmentally conscious coming to fore in the way we live, the idea of going green will increasingly be reflected in the way we design our homes.

What is now known as green housing or green architecture or green construction started as a niche field in architectural designing but has steadily become mainstream as more elements of it were integrated in the buildings to make them environmentally friendly and efficient.

As the interior design and architecture website, homedit.com observes, “All around us is talk of going green, reducing carbon footprint and stopping pollution.

Human activities in the name of technological progress over the centuries have had the effect of damaging the ozone layer to such an irreparable extent, we simply have to sit up and take notice. Green building is now the new watchword for construction around the world.”

Generally, there is a wide variety to what would comprise this term, as such definition takes into account the several common aspects. According to the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, “A Green Building can thus be defined as a high-performance building designed, built, operated and disposed of in a resource-efficient manner with the aim to minimise the overall (negative) impact on the built environment, human health and the natural environment.

Some examples of green building features are choice of site and orientation, efficient use of materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation.”

Though it has caught on in the US, Latin America, Europe, Australia and some parts of Asia like fast-developing China, in other parts of the world such as developing countries, it may seem a fairly long way off.

In fact in some American and European cities, there are rules and regulations as well as guidelines on how to build green and the features to take consideration.

In places like Uganda, the thinking may be that the fuss of reducing carbon footprints and adapting an eco-friendly lifestyle is one of those lofty Western ideals. But there are certain aspects of building and use that will most likely make both designers and home owners in Uganda seek to incorporate some elements of green housing.

As was noted in a 2010 special report on green technology in Time magazine: “Much of green architecture comes from design—making use of natural light and other features to cut down on energy waste; but smarter building materials can make a difference as well.”

One of the biggest concerns of any Ugandan home owner, especially in the capital city, municipalities and towns, would be the cost and use of energy. Since it is mostly in the urban areas where the energy sources is predominantly hydro-electric power, ways of reducing the cost and dependence on it as well as getting alternatives will be sought.

Energy efficiency
Green housing emphasises the conservation of energy and promotes energy efficiency. With the rates of electricity on the rise and the supply increasingly erratic, it is only prudent that the alternatives to fill the gap or ways to curb costs are considered.

A unit of electricity for domestic users is charged at almost Shs500 from Shs426 previously, the rationing of power supply varies anywhere from three hours to 12 hours, and petrol or diesel generators, apart from being noisy, have their own shortcomings; this will nudge people to contemplate eco-friendly forms of energy for their homes.

Already, the popularity of energy-saver bulbs for lighting is a useful pointer. It is also worth noting that a Ministry of Energy-World Bank initiative, a few years ago, helped deepen this when about 300,00/500,000 such bulbs are distributed house to house to replace the energy-consuming 80- and 100-watt bulbs that were being used.

Alternative power
Solar energy for lighting and for running certain home appliances is already being utilised in a number of homes. The prospect of wind energy is also equally attractive as an option to consider while modelling homes to make them more green.

While appearing on KFM’s Hard Talk, a radio talk show, a few months ago, the Minister of State for Energy, Simon D’Ujanga, revealed that there were government-commissioned studies that would be carried on the viability of wind energy.

In addition, there is ongoing research at the Centre for Research in Energy and Energy Conservation (CREEC), based at Makerere University, on bio-energy that is more appropriate to our situation and would be of interest in applying it in homes, other kinds of buiding and industries, both small-scale and large-scale.

Water use
Besides conservation of energy, another aspect of green housing that would lead to its adoption in Uganda is the efficient water use. “The goal of creating a well-built green home is to end with a structurally sound, energy efficient, best air quality, more sustainable, water wise, inhabitant-healthy and practical home,” writes Steve Feller, an expert in green building, on Factoidz website.

With estimates showing that a water carrier (WC) toilet system alone can account for up to 30 per cent of the water used in home, any way of minimising these bills would be a welcome idea. It is common to find a pit latrine within the premises in many Uganda homes, and this in some way cuts down the use of water in the WC toilet, though the reason for this may be as a Plan B for those when there is no running water coming into the house.

Another area of a house that uses a lot of water is the kitchen. This is where techniques of rainwater harvesting, either via the roof or other means, and reuse of waste water from homes would make green housing catch on.

Appropriate technology and use of locally available materials to construct, if backed by some kind of institutionalised support, would take a sizeable chunk out of the cost of building homes in developing countries like Uganda. This will most likely encourage people to take advantage of green housing.

In a keynote address to a meeting of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in Nairobi, Kenya, last month, Dr Joan Clos, UN-Habitat Executive Director, said “Together, UN-Habitat and UNEP are engaged in promoting low-carbon practices in the housing sector by means of capacity building and technical assistance to governments and housing institutions.”

With lesser upfront costs of construction and minimised running costs, green building definitely provides worthwhile benefits to home owner, and it is a matter of when not if green building will be the norm in Uganda.

Published in the Daily Monitor newspaper http://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/HomesandProperty/-/689858/1365358/-/view/printVersion/-/tc1xqa/-/index.html

Uganda should fully back Palestine’s statehood bid

On the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, November 29, a statement from the Director-General of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) re-affirmed the decision taken by the organisation in October to admit Palestine as a member.

This step is an achievement for a people who are striving for self-determination and the right to exist as a formally recognised entity. Palestinians have fought, negotiated and bargained for an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as the capital.

For over twenty years, represented by the Palestine Authority, they have held talks with Israel, which has occupied these territories for over four decades. However, these on-and-off discussions eventually come to naught and the latest round has broken down with no deal on the key issues, yet again. After unfulfilled promises and unrealised aspirations, in 2010, the Palestine Authority began a diplomatic strategy to court individual countries for recognition and to attain full member status at the UN —an upgrade from the current observer status.

During the UN General Assembly, held in September, the Palestine Authority President Mahmoud Abbas presented the request for admission as a full member state. In his speech, he stated that “the goal of the Palestinian people is the realisation of their inalienable national rights….the unquestionable right of our people to self-determination and to the independence of our State as stipulated in international resolutions.” The procedure is that the application is tabled by the Secretary General to the Security Council, which votes on it and, if there are at least nine votes with no veto from the permanent members, it is then forwarded to the General Assembly. The other alternative is for Palestine to present its bid directly to General Assembly, where there are higher chances of success.

So, the Unesco vote referred to earlier, was a coup for this diplomatic push. It was passed with 107 “yes” votes, which was over the required 81, with 14 “no” votes and 52 abstentions. To me, the biggest surprise was that Uganda chose to abstain yet the country has a long history of supporting causes for self-determination and independence.

From the struggle against apartheid in South Africa to the quest for independence in South Sudan, Eritrea, Namibia, Western Sahara/Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and even on the Palestinian question, Uganda has always shown where it stands. For instance, in support of the independence of South Sudan, President Yoweri Museveni said “Uganda will support the membership of South Sudan in East Africa and all regional bodies. The people of South Sudan had a right of self-determination.” There is a monument dedicated to the South African fallen heroes at Pan African Square in Kampala. The President of the SADR government in exile was a guest at Museveni’s swearing in ceremony in 2006.

So, I wonder why Uganda is now ambivalent about Palestine yet it supported the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s previous attempts in 1974 and in 1988 to seek recognition under Yasser Arafat. I dare to speculate it is because of diplomatic relations and business interests with Israel.

There are two main reasons why I think Uganda should support Palestine and still maintain relations with Israel.

As a UN member, Uganda is party to the resolutions that condemn Israeli’s occupation and recognise Palestine as a state. The other is that even the Middle East Peace Quartet—the European Union, US, Russia and UN—committed itself to a two-state solution by September 2011.

The zeitgeist in many regional blocs and international fora, including the Arab League and increasingly within the EU, is in favour of getting the two-state solution as soon as possible. In addition, even the World Bank and IMF acknowledge that Palestine has the institutions for statehood. Many of these countries however also still maintain diplomatic and economic ties with Israel, why not Uganda?

We Need More Than Vuvuzelas For Uganda Cranes Pt 2

On the eve of this year's Independence Day, Uganda Cranes hosts neighbours, Kenya's Harambee Stars, at Namboole Stadium in Kampala. This is one of the do-or-die matches for qualification to 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. Despite expectation that we are expected to give our all in support to the national side, I am not keen on having my heart broken for the umpteenth time.

While we may need to support Cranes, Uganda's football needs more than vuvuzelas on such Saturdays to get things right. It is a process that has to start from the grassroots to the very top. We scream ourselves hoarse then towards the end of the campaign, there are those questions we start to ask because the Cranes do not seem willing to win emphatically.(Watching the previous match against Angola's Palancas Negras in Luanda, one would get this impression)

In the final analysis, I don't have much hope in Uganda's chances in getting to the 2012 Cup of Nations.....the whole FUFA administration, search for upcoming talent, football league, finances, fans' support, media, corporate sponsorship, government support/budget et cetera will have to be fine tuned and tweaked to work in sync. Only then can we be prepared to take on the world. It is only then that Uganda will win more awards than just the CECAFA 'thing' [which has become boring].

Food for thought: Why is it that there are more fans of English Premiership clubs in Uganda than for the national team? More media coverage of the lives of the Premiership players and their WAGs than just results of matches from our own football league?

Read pt 1 here

Sweet and Bitter: The Story of Uganda’s Sugar

by Mwesigye Gumisiriza

When many Ugandans took to the streets of Kampala in April 2007 to protest the government’s intention to degazette 7,100 hectares (17,540 acres) of Mabira rainforest for expanding sugar production, it may have taken many by surprise. More so, when the protest assumed racial tones, became violent and subsequently targetted the Asian community.

However, if one is to closely look between the lines of what could be called the Mabira saga, it is possible to see the wide-ranging influence of the sugar industry in the economic and social life of Uganda. According to a study carried out by D. P. S Ahluwalia, Plantations and Politics of Sugar in Uganda, the origins of the industry can be traced to the 1920s when the colonial administration was promoting peasant production of cash crops for export as raw materials for the factories in Britain. For sugarcane growing, it was developed along the lines of plantations by Asians, thus explaining their link to, expertise and capital in the business up to date.

There are three dominant players; of which two are owned by Asians or Ugandans of Asian origin. Kakira belongs to the Madhvani Group, Sugar Company of Uganda Limited (SCOUL) in Lugazi is owned by the Mehta Group. The third sugar estate, operated by Kinyara Sugar Works Limited, was established much later in 1964, through an agreement between the governments of Uganda and India. In addition to this historical background, these enterprises have maintained their presence in the market owing to government support via rehabilitation after years of little or non-production in the 1970s and 1980s.

Because of this, likely competitors have been kept at bay, this is reinforced by their lobbying the Ministry of Trade and Industry to table a bill in parliament. The outcome of which will set guidelines along which new players will operate while taking care of the concerns of the “big three”. The concerns include new firms and jaggeries buying from outgrowers who are already contractually bound to them. The jaggeries are small-scale businesses that crush cane for the making of wagari.

Thus, the crux of the current competition is expansion at less cost rather than directly targetting the consumers. There is a shortfall in production—there is a need to expand from the current 190,000 tonnes per year to 220,000 tonnes to meet demand. The gap is met by imported sugar, which is cheaper. Yet another headache is the cost of production, which is highest in East Africa: US$ 480 per tonne compared to US$ 390 in Kenya and Tanzania. Even then, there is the challenge of consumption—while for Uganda, it is 9 kilogrammes per person, in Kenya and Tanzania, it ranges between 14-15 kilogrammes.

There are thousands of farmers—known as outgrowers—contracted to supply the factories. Statistics from Uganda National Sugarcane Growers Association (UNASGO) put the number at 20,000 and indirectly benefitting 50,000. But Ethical Sugar, a civil society organisation, puts the number at 7,000, who in turn employ 20,000 people, and 15,000 directly employed by the factories. Either way, production of the white crystals, which are an essential part of our diets, is the livelihood of a significant part of the population.

This extends to the business opportunities to local entrepreneurs such as those who transport cane, the wholesalers and retailers who sell the products. Even the by-product of the process known as bargasse is used to generate power in an environment-friendly way and at a cheaper cost than burning of diesel. Besides this, there are industries that use sugar as input, ingredient or preservative—breweries in making beer, soft drinks and packed fruit makers and confectioneries in producing sweets, bread, biscuits. However, the type used is industrial sugar, most of which is imported. On estates such as Kakira, there are social services such as a hospital, nursery, primary and secondary schools. With expansion in the near future, the benefits will definitely spread, and with it the impact of the sector.

Despite revenue of billions of shillings and annual taxes amounting to over Shs. 62 billion, the sugar industry is a source of disaffection and dissatisfaction. This probably from the feeling that the industry gains more from the people than the latter should be getting from it. For instance, neither do the producers have say in setting price nor do the outgrowers determine how much they get per tonne. There are different rates for the three factories; Lugazi pays its outgrowers Shs. 24,000 per tonne, the rate for Kakira is Shs. 38,000 while Kinyara sets it at Shs. 32,600. Even the land owners that lease their land for planting of sugarcane claim the fees they are paid are not commiserate with the market. Even the consumers feel they are paying a lot; ranging from Shs. 1,700 to Shs. 2,000 per kilogramme depending on where they buy it.

So, is it still surprising that during the Mabira saga, the protest tried to introduce boycott of Lugazi sugar as one of the weapons? In spite of this backdrop, we can hardly do without that sugar in our cup of tea.

This was published in The Manager, a weekly newspaper, Kampala, Uganda, in the week of 16th March 2009

Note: I posted this here because many of the facts are pertinent in light of the current crisis in sugar supply going on in Uganda. However, because of a number of factors, the figures quoted here have changed over time.