Just another day in Uganda: Fishing

Read Full Post »

Just Another Day in Uganda: Behaving badly on safari

Read Full Post »

Just Another Day in Uganda: Young rascals

The innocence of young lives is personified in the fun these two boys seems to be having, somewhere in Uganda.

Read Full Post »

Just Another Day in Uganda: Aerial Shock and Awe

A shocking $750 million later the Uganda Airforce has now acquired 8 sukhoi-30 jet fighters from Russia. The multiple role, all weather jets, also known as the Flanker C, by NATO, Will provide the air force with air to air, and air to ground deep interdiction capabilities. It is currently in service with the Russian, Chinese, Indonesian and Venezuelan Air forces.

In one swoop the air force has leapt to the front of the regional queue as the most likely to be able to shock and awe the ‘enemy’. But it’s the price of this capability that has shocked the public. Considering that the state of the economy is not that good, health care is a mess and education is going to the dogs. Each plane is an estimated $35-45 million, plus spares and maintenance and the picture gets bigger and bigger.

The government initially denied they were buying the jets, then they said they needed them to defend the county from unidentified foes (cynics amongst us wonder how jets are used to protect oil fields from people on the ground).

Then the story got murkier: the president announced that they had been bought on the premise that they would be paid for with money from the capital gains taxes that the oil companies will pay……..the case is in arbitration as we speak (counting eggs before they hatch?) However the ministry of energy says that the capital gains tax was promised to them to build a dam at Karuma Falls. Hmmm, now how will the money withdrawn from the Bank of Uganda’s foreign exchange reserves, without parliamentary approval, to complete the purchase be replaced?

There have been mishaps reported in the press over the last few weeks involving the jet fighters. One was hilariously funny: Entebbe is a gazetted bird sanctuary area and a bird watchers dream, now that requires the airport to employ a bird control officer to keep them away from aircraft during take off and landing. The story goes that he signalled the air force that the coast was clear and take off of jets could commence. As nature would have it, birds popped up suddenly and without warning and got sucked into one of the jet fighter engines. The air force was livid and they demanded the arrest of the bird control officer! Honestly!

Read Full Post »

Just another day in Uganda: A long walk home

A lone woman slowly makes her way to her destination down a typical Murrum road somewhere in rural Uganda. She’s pushing her bike rather than riding it, perhaps the gradient is too steep. Most likely northern or eastern Uganda is the location for this photo as women riding bicycles is a rarity elsewhere in the country.

Read Full Post »

Just another day in Uganda: row, row, row your boat!

It was a great surprise to drive up to ‘Miami beach’ Luzira, on lake victoria on the outskirts of kampala and to find a dedicated group of amateur rowers. Led by a dynamic young coach with ambitions of taking a team to the all africa games. They have donated rowing boats, some with ‘reading rowing club’ isignia, tightly stored into a shipping container. It was a colourful sight to see lots of young and middle aged guys and girls too, messing about with boats. And I am talking about Black Ugandanshere……….what a breath of fresh air from the mundane premier league soccer.

Read Full Post »

Just Another Day In Uganda: No permission to walk to work?

On the 13th of April 2011, Opposition leader dr. Kizza besigye left home on foot to walk 16km to his office. He could have driven there, but wanting to protest rising fuel prices he chose to foot it to work.  However he did not realise that in Uganda today you are not allowed to walk to work if you already own a car. Police, in their blue military style fatigues, only in Uganda, surrounded him gave him three options

1. Return home
2. Call his driver and complete his journey in the comfort of his car
3. Accept a lift from the police

He chose neither and was promptly dispatched in the back of a double cabin pickup. The irony totally lost on the powers that be.

Read Full Post »

Just Another Day in Uganda: Kids Play

Copyright Echwalu Photoggraphy

I stumbled on this picture on a fellow Ugandan bloggers site and use it with his permission. it depicts kids playing in muddy water after a spell of rain, in Kisaasi, a suburb I once lived in. What I found stunning is the almost statue like effect that the water and light make the boys appear to the eye.

Read Full Post »

Just another day in Uganda: the potter’s stall

A road side pottery stall

With an abundance of clay all over Uganda, clay pots abound.

Read Full Post »

Great Nairobi architecture

The Sankara Hotel, Westlands, Nairobi

The sankara Hotel is a relatively new addition to Nairobi’s Skyline. Its located in the middle of  Westlands, which is well on its way to becoming a CBD in its own right. The hotel has clean geometric lines that are truly refreshing and very attractive. Note the swimming pool overhanging the roof edge, its got a glass bottomed floor!

Read Full Post »