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

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

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

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

Reckless and careless driving

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

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

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

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

Narrow and old roads

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

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

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

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

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

Unqualified drivers

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

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

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

Mechanically poor vehicles

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

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

Corruption

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winnie Byanyima’s Profile

Background and education

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

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

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

Professional career

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

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

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

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

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

Marriage and children

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

Liverpool and Norwich to kick off the new Premier League season

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

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

What should fans look out for in the new season?

Introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR)

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

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

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

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

New additions, new strength

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Will Manchester City make it three in a row?

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

Will this be Liverpool’s season finally?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Arsenal revolution?

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

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

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

Will the top six be shaken up this time?

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

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

How will the relegation battle be?

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

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

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

Who will win the golden boot?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kyadondo East Member of Parliament Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine the leader of the People Power political pressure group launched a national coordination team on Wednesday.

The team will be in charge of mobilizing supporters and coordinating all the necessary activities in different regions ahead of the 2021 general elections.

The appointed committee will also be responsible for identifying, recruiting and harmonizing candidates from these regions vying for several political posts in the upcoming elections.

The meeting in which the coordination committee was appointed took place at Bobi Wine’s home in Magere, Wakiso district on Wednesday.

The People Power Spokesperson, Joel Ssenyonyi said that they had intended to have this meeting in a hotel but they failed to secure a place sine all the hotels contacted turned them down due to fear of government’s response for hosting Bobi Wine.

“We were not supposed to be here today for this press conference. We should have been at one of the hotels but we roamed town for the last couple of days seeking to get space but all of them declined, especially when they got to know its People Power”, he said.

The committee comprises of members from different political parties as well as those from diaspora. Mr. Ssenyonyi said that all members are there for a better country.

“We have leaders here from the NRM and some are in Parliament but they are here because we all want a better country. We also have members from DP, FDC, Jeema… People Power is also about empowering women. President Museveni says that he has empowered women but in many ways, he has disempowered them. We are keen on changing that”, he said.

Arua Municipality MP Kasiano Wadri said that the involvement of members from other political parties will not affect multiparty democracy but it will rather empower all parties.

“Multiparty democracy has principles. People Power has come to empower all political parties and not to break them. We are coming up with something new because we can’t behave normally in an abnormal situation. Multipartism can’t be killed by what you see here. We are all here for a common cause. This is a consortium, we are here to foster a common goal”, he said.

The committee teams that were appointed were regional based and are responsible to coordinate activities in their respective regions.

The committee list is as below

Kampala Metropolitan
Hon Medard Lubega Ssegona (Team Leader)
Hon Wakayima Musoke
Naluyima Betty
Samuel Lubega Mukaku
Semugooma

Greater Luweero;
Hon Lutamaguzi (Team Leader)
Hon Brenda Nabukenya
Nanyanzi Shifa
Former Luweero Mayor
Sekabira Lawrence

Greater Mubende;
Hon Patrick Nsamba (Team Leader)
Hon Kalwanga David
Kawuma Digo
Kabuye Frank
Sumaya

Greater Mpigi;
Hon Muwanga Kivumbi (Team Leader)
Aisha Kabanda
Hillary Kiyaga(Hilderman)
Teddy Nambooze
Sadam Gayira

Greater Mukono;
Hon Lulume Bayiga (Team Leader)
(Mayor of Mbiko, Kiwanuka Abdullah
Patriko Mujuka
Simbwa

Greater Masaka;
Hon Mathias Mpuuga (Team Leader)
Hon Sewungu Gonzaga
Hon Florence Namayanja
Dr. Abed Bwanika
Katerega Muhammad

WestNile;
Hon Kasiano Wadri(Team Leader)
Hon James Acidri
Hon Oguzu Lee
Habib Asega
Asara Night

Acholi;
Hon Lucy Akello (Team Leader)
Hon Gilbert Olanya
Hon Anthony Akol
Olenga Anthony
Okema Santo

Karamoja;
Hon Adome Bildard (Team Leader)
Ayen Bonny
Lopolo Mukulu
Ponyu Badru

Lango;
Hon Jonathan Odur (Team Leader)
Moses Okot P’Bitek
Okello Blick
Isaac Okae

Teso;
Hon Susan Amero (Team Leader)
Elakuna
Ojangone Anthony
George Okoit
Amato Immaculate

Tooro;
Kakuru Thomas (Team Leader)
Innocent Tukundane
Medard
Hanifa Said
Nyakato Hassan

Ankole;
Hon Mbwatekamwa Gaffa (Team Leader)
Kakama Moses
Lucas Muhangi
Muhanguzi Kateera Lubega Muzamir
Ayebare Jasper Musherura Daniel
Tuhimbise Rhoda
Byamukama Godfrey

Sebei;
Pastor Satid (Team Leader)
Chemonges Benjamin Kwoyen
Satya
Chemisto Kubai

Bunyoro;
Hon Barnabas Tinkasimire (Team Leader)
Nyakato Asinas
Amanyire Rogers
Asiimwe Grace
Atiki

Bugisu;
Hon John Baptist Nambeshe (Team Leader)
Anthony Wameli
Wetaka Abas
Sam Mali
Robinah Nadunga

Busoga;
Hon Asuman Basalirwa (Team Leader)
Hon Paul Mwiru
Mercy Walukamba
Bigirwa Moses
Basakana Hannington

Bukedi;
Hon Nabulindo Agnes (Team Leader)
Hon Catherine
Sanya Wycliff
Mukasa Abdullah
Yusuf Mutembule

Rwenzori;
Hon Winnie Kiiza (Team Leader)
Hon Robert Centenary
Wakibanahi Joram
Ndungu James
Musabingo

Youth Wing;
Hon Francis Zaake(Team leader)
Angella Namirembe(Deputy-Central)
Bosmic Otim(Deputy-North)
Sasi Marvin(Deputy-West)
Mariah Natabi(Deputy-East)

Institutions;
Roy Semboga (Team Leader)
Muhumuza Umaru
Milkah Nabacwa
Tunduru Jonathan
Magulu Mpagi

Women Wing;
Flavia Kalule (Team Leader)
Hon Robinah Ssentongo
Hon Anna Adeke
Nusifa Nakato
Aturinda Agnes

PWDs
Pastor Robert Mpala Isabirye (Team Leader)
John Luwago
Kisimizi Nuhu

Arts & Entertainment;
Nubian Lee (Team Leader)
Swengere
Ronald Mayinja
Flavia Namulindwa
Informal Sector;
Nyanzi Fred Ssentamu (Team Leader)
Nnazzinda Sifa
Okello Richard
Ande Kibirige
Muwanguzi Andrew

Diaspora;
Arao Ameny (Team Leader)-US
Belinda Atim-UK
Patricia-UAE/Dubai
Ali Mawale-SA
Pamela (Sweden)

Today the Buganda Road Magistrates Court has given bail to Bobi Wine’s promoter Andrew Mukasa also Known as Bajjo of Bajjo Events.

Bajjo has been in jail since he was charged with offensive communication and inciting violence. He has been detained since June 15 when he was picked by security officials from Centenary Park while he was addressing journalists on a marathon that he had organized to raise funds for Bobi Wine.

Bajjo and many other Ugandans from a range of categories including politicians, journalists, and many others have been victims of the new wave of politics in Uganda that rose with the coming of the now Kyadondo East Member of Parliament Robert Kyagulanyi, commonly known as Bobi Wine.

Many have been arrested, tortured, beaten and imprisoned including Kyagulanyi himself while others have lost their lives like the late Yasin Kawuma, Bobi Wine’s former driver who was shot dead during the Arua Municipality Parliamentary by-election fracas last year that involved stoning of President Museveni’s car.

How Bobi Wine entered Uganda’s politics

Bobi Wine hit the political scene in Uganda in 2017 when he won the Kyadondo East Parliamentary by-election and entered the Parliament of Uganda. Before Kyagulanyi joined politics, he was seen as a mere musician though some of his songs were politically charged something that showed he might be having some interest in politics.

Politics is not a new chapter in Bobi Wine’s family as his brother Eddy Yawe, also a musician stood for parliamentary election for Kiira Municipality in 2016 though he badly lost to FDC’s Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda.

Leading opposition candidate?

Since he entered politics in 2017, Bobi Wine has gone on to become the leading opposition leaders in Uganda overtaking even some of the long-standing opposition figures like Dr. Kiiza Besigye in popularity. Besigye has been the leading opposition contender to take on president Museveni though he has lost to him four times since 2001 in presidential elections.

The People Power wave

Kyagulanyi’s fast rise in Uganda’s politics has led to the birth of a pressure group known as “People Power” which many see as a political party though it is hasn’t been registered with the Electoral Commission.

Bobi Wine himself is the brainchild of the People Power movement as he has referred to the constitution of Uganda that says that power belongs to people. The more he emphasized it, the more it became a slogan among his supporters and today it is being used to refer to everyone who supports him.

Several politicians and those who are aspiring for several political offices have already come up to identify themselves with the People Power movement having seen the impact the movement has already created among people country-wide.

Presidential Candidate?

The huge popularity that Kyagulanyi has gained has seen many Ugandans rank him as the suitable opposition candidate to challenge president Museveni in the 2021 presidential election. Bobi Wine himself, while in an interview with CNN declared that he is “seriously considering challenging president Museveni in 2021 presidential elections.” However, this proposal of Bobi Wine being the leading opposition candidate to challenge president Museveni seemed to create some friction between his supporters and those who still think that four-time former presidential candidate Kiiza is still the ideal man to represent the opposition against Museveni who has been in power for 33 years.

A reckon of hope for the youth

Majority of the people that Bobi Wine has won over are the youth who view him as a savior and they hope that he has the potential to restore them and revive them for prosperity.

This was so evident in the previous protests that Bobi Wine has been spear-heading including the one against social media and mobile money taxes last year. These protests attracted thousands of youth who joined him on the streets of Kampala before they were dispersed by the police with tear gas and arresting some.

The youth and other Bobi Wine have also been staging several protests in different parts of the country demanding Bobi Wine’s release on all occasions when he was detained by the police including the Arua fracas and recently when he was arrested on Easter Monday.

Panic in the government

Several traces of panic in the government caused by the threat posed by Bobi Wine’s growing support. Some of the panic moves from the government against him including, several arrests banning all his music shows during the festive seasons and detaining him at his home to stop him from talking to his supporters.

There were rumors that the government was also planning to bring a bill to parliament requiring all aspirers of top political positions to be tested and establish whether they have ever used drugs. This move was widely criticized with many pointing out that it was targeting Bobi Wine who is thought to have used drugs while he was still staying in the ghetto trying to build his music career.

Division among top political parties

The rise of Bobi Wine has also caused some damage in some of the top political parties in the country with many of their prominent members coming out clearly and declare that they now belong the People Power pressure group led by Bobi Wine which is viewed as another political party in making.

Some of these members have gone on to declare that they will be standing for political offices under the People Power ticket something that has left their party leaders puzzled.

This has been worsened in cases where some party members are threatening to stand against their fellow party members for the same office, this has created a big dilemma in such parties.

The national team the Uganda Cranes was eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations at the round of 16 after a 1-0 defeat by Senegal on Friday.

Sadio Mane’s first-half goal was enough to hand Senegal a place in the quarter-finals where they will face fellow West African rivals Benin.

 The Liverpool striker was played through by Mbaye Niang who had pounced on a loose ball from Uganda defender Godfrey Walusimbi before beating goalkeeper Denis Onyango with a left-footed low shot.  

Mane missed a chance to score the second for Senegal when he saw his penalty saved by Onyango in the second half though his single goal was enough to make him the tournament leading scorer with three goals.

The match started in high spirit with both sides trying to attack for the opener and it was Senegal to break the deadlock in the 15^th minute through Mane.

Uganda tried to respond and look for an equalizer but the Senegal defense and goalkeeper Gomis made an impressive save to deny Uganda’s striker Emmanuel Okwi who saw his shot pushed away by the goalkeeper for a corner.

Senegal continued to put up a relentless performance that did not allow Uganda to cause much threat but rather forced them into committing several mistakes including fouls that saw three Uganda Cranes booked before half time.

Uganda Cranes second-half substitute Allan Kateregga forced another fine save from the Senegalese goalkeeper from a well taken free kick.

In the end, Mane’s goal proved to be the decider as Senegal progressed to the quarter-final and Uganda was sent packing joining the other three East African nations of Burundi, Kenya, and Tanzania that were eliminated at group stages.

Uganda’s build-up to the Senegal tie was dominated by disputes between the players and their football federation concerning their payments that the federation had not made which forced them to boycott training on Tuesday.

However, for Uganda Cranes, this tournament has been an upgrade from the previous one in 2017 where they exited at the group stage with a single point. This has been the first time Uganda has reached the knock out stage in this competition since 1978 where they finished runners up after losing the final to Ghana.

Although they are out of the tournament, The Cranes have made Uganda proud after producing some impressive performances and revealing some new faces of talented players who caught the attention of many at the tournament.

Benin shocks Morocco

The first match of the round of 16 saw underdogs Benin shock Morocco with a 4-1 defeat on penalties despite the North African giants being one of the favorites to win the tournament.

The 90 minutes of the match ended with both teams square at 1-1 and the added extra 30 minutes did not produce further goals.

Benin endured a difficult game that saw them survive a penalty that was missed by Morocco’s attacker Hakim Ziyech before they were reduced to 10 men after Khaled Adenon was sent off with one of the oddest red cards.

The Squirrels are now in the last eight despite not having won any match in regular time in this tournament. They will face fellow West African rivals Senegal on Wednesday, July 10 to fight for a place in the semifinals.

Other fixtures of the round of 16 continue today with Nigeria taking on defending champions Cameroon before hosts Egypt face South Africa in the second game of the day.

Tomorrow surprise package Madagascar will take on DR Congo in the first game and later Algeria will play Guinea.

The final set of the round of 16 will be played on Monday with Mali taking on 2015 champions Ivory Coast in the first match before the last fixture of the round will see Ghana playing 2004 champions Tunisia.

The musician-turned politician and Kyandonda East Member of Parliament Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine has continued to make headlines and this time by receiving an award of recognition of his efforts against human rights abuses in Uganda.

Bobi Wine received the award on Tuesday in Chicago, USA at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition Annual Conference organized by human rights activist and former US presidential candidate Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Earlier On Monday, Bobi Wine had said that there are still many Ugandans who are languishing in jail and several others have been tortured severely for speaking against the ruling NRM government.

While receiving the award, Bobi Wine said he was humbled by this honor, which he said will encourage him to intensify his fight against dictatorship in Uganda.

Mr Kyagulanyi added that his fight for freedom comes right from his childhood while still in the ghetto and on the streets.

“I am not speaking to you as an expert on human rights law. I’m just an ordinary citizen of the world born and raised in the biggest slum of Uganda, the ghetto of Kamwokya. That’s where I come from. My passion to fight for freedom was indeed not born out of the classroom… it was born out of the streets, out of my experience from growing up out of the poorest of the poorest in Uganda and those are the people who face the worst human rights violations in my country Uganda,” said Bobi Wine.

Bobi wine added that though he may be known by many due to the torture he went through at the hands of security officials in Uganda, he said that that was nothing compared to what any Ugandans go through every day in their own country.

“I know many of you have come to know about me out of my experience of torture, repression and abuse of my rights by the authorities in Uganda and the military in my country. while I am grateful for the attention, I must assert it that my own experience, however nasty it was, is nothing compared to what very many men and women go through every day in my country.

“Many have been arrested. Many have disappeared and indeed many have had to pay the ultimate price. So while I am very lucky to be standing before you ladies and gentlemen, I must inform the world that another activist, an academic giant, a woman, Dr Stella Nyanzi, continues to rot in jail, continues to be incarcerated, simply because she wrote a poem that criticizes President Museveni who has been president of Uganda for 33 years”. Said Bobi Wine.

The Global Peace and Human Rights Summit that started on June 28 and ended on July 2 was also attended by former US Vice President Joe Biden as a special guest. Mr Biden is the front runner of the Democrats for the next year’s US presidential election.

Mr Kyagulanyi hit the political stage in Uganda in 2017 by storm when he won the Kyandondo East Parliamentary by-election and his seen his popularity increase drastically both locally and globally since then.

Kyagulanyi was at the center of the mix in august last year when he was reportedly arrested and tortured by security forces following the fracas that resulted from the Arua Municipality by-election.

His worsening health situation that resulted from the torture forced him to go for specialized treatment in the US where he was admitted in the hospital for a couple of weeks before he returned to Uganda to continue his recovery process.

During the Arua fracas that resulted due to the stoning of one of the cars that were in President Museveni’s convoy, Kyagulanyi’s driver Yasin Kawuma was shot dead by security operatives.