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Uganda burning with hot debate on Anti-Homosexuality Bill

George — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 09:59:03 +0000

To many non-Ugandans, Uganda conjures up two sustaining images; One, a small, beautiful, landlocked east African nation, once called the “Pearl of Africa” by her British colonizers. The other, a country ruled by African strongman Idi Amin, recently immortalized by the 2006 Oscar-winning performance of Forest Whitaker in, “The Last King of Scotland.”

A new image could be emerging for Uganda. One that would eclipse any other notion and one that Ugandans are hotly debating: one of the few countries in the world to implement the death penalty for gays and lesbians.

This potentially powerful new image could be said to be the brain-child of David Bahati. Bahati, 35, is a Ugandan member of parliament from the politically inﬂuential western region of Uganda. Many here say he is an “up and coming” politician with a good pedigree and many of the “right connections.”

Former refugee recycles US hotel soap to rid Uganda of diarrheal diseases

George — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:32:10 +0000

Nearly two decades after he arrived in this country, Ugandan Derreck Kayongo is still bowled over by one subtle display of American wealth: the endless array of soaps available in stores.

In his African homeland, the cost of soap is out of reach for many, often with tragic consequences. In 2004, the World Health Organization found roughly 15 percent of deaths among Ugandan children under age 5 resulted from diarrheal diseases, many of which could be prevented through hand sanitation.

Now America’s bountiful soap bars have prompted Kayongo to launch the Global Soap Project, an effort to help his country’s poorest — one used bar of hotel soap at a time.

An Atlanta-based anti-poverty advocate, Kayongo has collected several tons of lightly used soap bars under a plan to melt them down, sterilize them and reshape the soap for shipment to refugees in Uganda to help curb disease.

For Uganda’s destitute, soap is a luxury.

Kenya ranked most corrupt country in East Africa

George — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:37:34 +0000

Kenya is the most corrupt country in East Africa, an international watchdog said Thursday after surveying residents in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
According to the survey by Berlin-based Tranparency International, 45 percent of Kenyans pay bribes to access services such as public health care, water connections and security. The country was followed by Uganda with 34 percent and Tanzania with 17.8 percent.
Kenyan police _ notorious for dubious traffic stops and shaking down motorists for bribes _ were ranked the most corrupt in the country, followed by the Ministry of Defense and Judiciary.

Worlds most valuable resource, a curse for most Nigerians

George — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:17:39 +0000

Trash litters its cities. Electricity is sporadic at best. There is no clean water. Medical and educational services are limited. Basic infrastructure is severely...