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)

Meles Zenawi: A revolutionary bows out

It finally happened! After months of speculation about his absence fuelling many rumours about his health or death depending which side of the story you listened to, state-owned media in Ethiopia announced the death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi Asres early Tuesday morning.

It was made in a terse statement: “Prime Minister Zenawi suddenly passed away last night. Meles was recovering in a hospital overseas for the past two months but died of a sudden infection at 11:40 (on Monday night).” Though it did not divulge much in the way of words, the announcement revealed more in what is between the lines. So, it was true that he was seriously ill and was being treated in a hospital outside Ethiopia. And not on vacation at a location within the country as the government spokesperson had said in response to the rumours around his months-long absence from the public.

Since early July, there had been varying reports whether he was abroad for treatment or somewhere in the country. The government’s attempts to pour cold water on questions about the Prime Minister only seemed to add more fuel to the fire. Eyebrows were raised even higher when he missed an African Union summit that was held in his own backyard, Addis Ababa. The first time he had not attended the event since he came to power in 1991. Perhaps he was following his doctors’ advice “to rest after experiencing exhaustion resulting from long years of service without a break” as Ethiopia’s communications minister Bereket Simon said.

As Ethiopia appears at the crossroads on the direction it will take, Zenawi’s legacy is equally split. While there is a lot of good that will be credited to his leadership, there is also lot of blame that will put on him. Under his leadership, there was impressive economic growth, reduced infant mortality and HIV/AIDS infection rates as well as improved food security according to statistics though the usual challenges that dog developing countries remained.

He may have pushed for national development but severely curtailed democracy and personal freedoms; he brooked no opposition and crushed his opponents. While at the helm, he led his country into a disastrous war with neighbouring Eritrea that still has repercussions, and got sucked into the Somali conflict. Was it out of geopolitical considerations considering Ethiopia’s place in the volatile Horn of Africa region or was it positioning himself within Western interests in the area for self-preservation? It was a bit of both.

Born Legesse Zenawi in May 1955, to an Ethiopian father and a mother from Eritrea, he adopted the Meles as a nom de guerre during the war against Haile Mariam Mengistu’s government. Upon toppling that government, as head of the rebels he became a transitional president from 1991 to 1995. Following a change in the constitution and secession of Eritrea, he became an executive prime minister from 1995 up to this year.

And what a year it is turning out to be, a number of African leaders have died in office including Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi and John Atta Mills of Ghana; and for Meles Zenawi, it is just another one bites the dust.

When the high and mighty commit the unforgivable sin

Just like in Christianity, there is the unforgivable sin, in journalism it is perhaps plagiarism. And when it is an internationally celebrated columnist and television show host from one of the internationally reputable media networks, it is akin to an angel coming down from heaven to dine with the Devil. Fareed Zakaria, who writes a regular commentary in TIME magazine and hosts Fareed Zakaria GPS, a world affairs show on CNN, was suspended after plagiarism was uncovered in an article he wrote on gun control. A paragraph in Zakaria’s article “The Case for Gun Control” was suspiciously similar to an earlier feature by Jill Lepore, a history professor at Harvard University. The similarity was picked up the Mediabusters website and quickly spread across cyberspace forcing Zakaria to apologise for the “lapse” (Apparently, it was not the first time as this note shows). Born in India in 1964, Zakaria is now an American citizen who holds a Bachelor’s degree from Yale College and a PhD from Harvard University, and has received various honours for his work which includes as a best-selling author. Now, all that could come crashing down because of a mere paragraph. Will he ever get past that? For the journalism fraternity in Uganda, it is a point to ponder: How many of our journalists are plagiarising other people’s work?

Are there are hidden hands behind Sudan's oil war?

Once again Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir waved his walking stick in the air. Once again he spoke of splendid victories over his enemies as thousands of jubilant supporters danced and cheered. But this time around the stakes are too high. An all out war against newly independent South Sudan might not be in Sudan's best interest. South Sudan's saber-rattling is not an entirely independent initiative; its most recent territorial transgressions - which saw the occupation of Sudan's largest oil field in Heglig on April 10, followed by a hasty retreat ten days later - might have been a calculated move aimed at drawing Sudan into a larger conflict. Read more here

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

Out of Mali, back in Kenya: From one incident to another

It is probably a question of whether being away from home is a more comfortable option that being back home for Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Moses Wetangula. After being stuck for days of uncertainty in Mali, where he had gone to attend an African Union meeting, following a military coup, he arrived back in Kenya on Sunday night.

Even before he has had time to take a breather, the parliament has requested an explanation from him on a report purportedly bearing a logo of UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office which seemed to suggest that an arrest warrant should be issued for President Mwai Kibaki for 2007-2008 post-election violence. MPs then had urged him to initiate severing relations with UK over its perceived interference in Kenya’s politics.

In response, Wetangula said, “I have absolutely no difficulty discussing the issue if a substantive Motion in accordance with the rules of the House is brought to this floor.” If he thought they had forgotten about this while he was away, he better find an answer a.s.a.p. Even the darkest night breaks into dawn, with the recent cabinet reshuffle, he does not have to go through that anymore.

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