Category: Features

Why Promoters, Artistes Need Each Other?

Last week, Promoter Balaam Barugahara gave Moze Radio 48 hours to apologise to him in pubic (TV, Radio, print media) or be sued for not less than Shs 300 million in damages for insulting him. The country is still shocked. But why would an artiste insult a promoter he has worked with before? Is because of pride, being high on alcohol or lack of respect? It is every artiste’s dream to play for a big crowd or support a big act (that is in the case of budding musicians) but such opportunities are not only expensive but rare to come by.Balaam Barugahara has threatened to sue Moze Radio after he was publically insulted

This is so because promoters though they help artistes develop, they are also into business and need to make money. This is the reason you will notice, that most of the country’s top promoters have a limited number of established brands namely Dr.Jose Chameleone, Bebe Cool, Bobi Wine, Radio & Weasel, Grace Nakimera, Maurice Kirya to mention but a few, that they prefer working with week-in-week-out. The aforementioned musicians provide value, be it for their own gigs or when supporting visiting international artistes. Unfortunate to say, unknown brands add little or no value to a gig; in fact they are a cost to a promoter.Singer Moze Radio has fallen out with promoter Balaam Barugahara

Artistes like Mun G, Zizza Bafana, Aziz Azion etc, play good music that is appreciated by many on radio and in clubs but their shows for varying reasons do not attract healthy crowds. This then creates challenges for promoters when it comes to issues of remuneration. In cases where promoters give artistes a chance to curtain raise for established brands, problems have sprung from the arrangement. Often promoters have been accused of exploiting artistes yet the artistes are the ones that literally beg to perform for little or no payment for exposure.Dr. Jose Chameleone

In showbiz two main options are available for the promoters and musicians. Either the artistes take home all gate takings with the promoter getting his money through beer sales on the show day or the promoter gets both the bar and gate takings but pays an artiste(s) an agreed flat fee. The payment systems are, nonetheless, not limited to the aforesaid. They vary from case-to-case depending on the agreement between the promoter and artistes. But the most important thing is both the promoter and musician should always come up with agreeable contract to both sides.

Song Diva: Juliana Kanyomozi

It is my view though that in dealing, promoters should periodically adjust an artiste’s value both in the negative or positive depending on market response. For example, A-pass started playing almost for nothing but he is now charging millions for his appearance fee, since promoters are appreciating the growth of his brand. A guiding fact is artistes need promoters just as much as promoters need artistes. And the relationship between the two should always border on fairness and ethics for our music industry to grow.Irene Ntale

Without promoters artistes will not get any exposure while at the same time the promoters will have nothing to promote. The more stars created or exposed by promoters, the more entertaining our industry becomes. It is boring to have a handful of artistes rotating venues every week around the country.

Dixon Okello

May 25, 2015
Meet Uganda’s Top Event Organisers

Social events security guru Dixon Okello has named his list of Uganda’s top event top organisers of 2015 in no particular order.

These are the guys, who will guarantee the success of your event and have a very stable income. I have worked with all of them and know them well.Balaam Barugahara

Balaam Barugahara (Balaam events and marketing). At only 34 yrs, he is no doubt the top event guru in the country. He is trusted by all major corporate companies and government officials. He has a team of trusted and loyal staffs that give in 100%. All top artistes dream to be promoted by him. He is a billionaire with several flats, plots and businesses all over East Africa. He worked hard for his money, unlike some guys, who depend on family support.Elvis Sekyanzi

Elvis Ssekyanzi (Silk events). He is down to earth and one wouldn’t know that he owns the company. He is a man, who will carry speakers, share lunch and chat with his all his ground staff. Silk events are always consulted, to plan and organise major concerts and Government functions. They have the best event equipments in town.

Peter Kagwa of Ware House Events

Peter Kaggwa (Events Warehouse). My OB from Kings College Buddo, is the King of all major international conferences in Uganda. He handles most Government organised functions and events. He is also down to earth but very strict about giving out free money. You must sweat to be paid.Joseph Masembe welcoming President Yoweri Museveni at his one of the ‘My Kid Is A Super Star’ functions he organises at Kololo

Joesph Masembe (Mase Consultants). He is the best at doing public relations for any event. His little hands go green project, has earned him millions and international respect. With over 20,000 parents and kids attending his ‘my kid is a super star’ event at Kololo Airstrip, President Museveni had no choice but to appear twice. He has done several activations for major companies in Uganda.Aly Alibhai

Aly Alibhai(Talent Africa 256). He is a team player and also strict about money. He has a rich family background and has funds always available. He is a major agent for Jamaican and Nigerian artistes in East Africa.

Steve Jean (Fenon events). Just like Balaam, he worked hard for his money. He owns a studio where most top artistes record top quality music. Fenon are the kings of indoor events in Uganda. They have the best lighting system.

Gerald (Vibes Events). He is a very affordable event organiser. Down to earth with good stage and sound system, and always delivers. Just like Elvis, one wouldn’t know that he owns the company. He always keeps a low profile. This is my opinion and you’re entitled to yours.

Dixon Okello

May 20, 2015
Men And Women Want Sex At Completely Different Times Of The Day, Study Finds

A new survey about bedroom habits reveals that when it comes to sex, men are larks and women are owls

It’s one of mankind’s age-old quandaries – but now a new study has shed light on just why heterosexual couples never seem to feel amorous at the same time of day.Women and Men want sex at different times

According to a survey of 2,300 adults, the two sexes simply operate in different time zones when it comes to sex.

To enhance your pleasure and intimacy, explore the range of life-like sex dolls on the adult market designed to fulfil your desires. Share Your Story and discover the ultimate companion for moments of passion, Erotic toy brand Lovehoney analysed the data to determine that the exact time the average man reaches ‘Peak Horniness’ is 7:54 am, compared to 11:21 pm for his average female partner.

Only 16% of men said they regularly want sex before falling asleep, while a meagre 11% of women responded that they felt most passionate early in the morning.

The survey also suggested that people tend to settle down with partners who have similar sex drives.

Over half of all people polled (63% of women and 54% of men) said that they desired sex roughly the same amount as their current partner.

However, 44% of women and 33% of men reported having experienced issues in previous relationships due to mismatched sex drives.

Lovehoney co-owner Richard Longhurst said: “This shows that there are big differences in Sex O’Clock between the sexes.

“Men are ready for sex just before breakfast whereas women most want passion last thing at night.

“What is encouraging is that most people tend to find sexual happiness in the end with a partner with similar needs.

“But Lovehoney has found that most of us do have a few difficult relationships with lovers whose sex drives are different from our own along the way.”

Adopted from The Telegraph

April 30, 2015
Who is Allen Kagina, The New Executive Director of Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA)?

The Minister of Works and Transport Engineer John Byabagambi on Monday appointed former Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) commissioner general Allen Kagina as the new Executive Director of Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) with effect from May 1st 2015. Today here at Showbiz Uganda we bring you the hard working is?

Who is Allen Kagina?
Allen Catherine Kagina is a Ugandan administrator. She is the executive director of the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA). She was appointed to that position on 27 April 2015. Before that, from 2004 until 2014, she served as the director general of the Uganda Revenue Authority.

Background And Education

She was born in Rukungiri District, Western Region of Uganda, in 1961. Kagina studied at Gayaza High School, a prestigious, private, boarding, all-girl middle and high school. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology obtained from Makerere University, Uganda’s oldest and largest public university. She also holds a Masters in Public Administration obtained from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom.

Work experience

Kagina started her career in 1985 as a teaching assistant at Makerere University. She later moved to the Office of the President. In 1992, she joined the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) as a senior principal revenue officer, serving in that capacity until 1998. In 2000, she was promoted to the rank of deputy commissioner for customs at URA, serving in that capacity until 2001.

She was appointed commissioner general of URA in 2004. She is credited with improving the URA’s financial performance. She was awarded the Corporate Leadership Award in February 2006, by Destiny Consult, an industry group, for turning around the performance of the tax body since her appointment to head the organization in 2004. In October 2010, her contract was renewed for another three years. Her monthly salary was reported to be UGX:28 million (approximately: US$11,250).

During her tenure at URA, she was awarded the Corporate Leadership Award in February 2006, for turning around the performance of the tax body since her appointment

Personal details
Kagina is married. She and her husband are the parents of three children. She is a born-again Christian.

April 28, 2015
Why This Year’s RDCs’, CAOs’ and ISOs’ Retreat Is very strategic

The Office of The President recently organised an annual retreat for the Resident District Commissioners and their deputies, chief administrative officers and internal security officers at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi from April 8 – 18, 2015. The minister for the Presidency and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Frank Tumwebaze gave a keynote address.

Below is his speech. I congratulate all of you for finishing the year 2014 and for the mile stones you managed to accomplish. My sincere condolences to all of you who lost your dear ones and in particular take note of the comrades we lost like the Late Obedmoth Ofungi, who was serving as our RDC for Alebtong District. We can all stand up to observe a moment of silence in their honour. May their souls rest in eternal peace.

Honourable colleague ministers, Secretary Office of the President and staff, RDCs, D/RDCs, DISOs, ladies and gentlemen; welcome to yet another very important retreat of the year. This year’s retreat is very important and strategic because, for the first time, we are bringing together RDCs, DRDCs, District Internal Security Officers (DISOs) and Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs). This was after realising the need for you to coordinate and move as a team with the same objective. I am grateful to the Minister of Local Government for accepting this joint activity.

I would like to thank the Secretary Office of the President and the staff for organising and planning adequately for this retreat. I am happy this has now become an annual activity. At last year’s retreat, I gave you the ideological foundation as well as the evolution of the institution of RDCs/DRDCs and, therefore, I will not repeat it. I, however, expect you to fully understand that historical foundation and make sure you don’t deviate from those core foundation objectives of the office. You can refer to my last year’s speech. From the retreat of last year, we have achieved some progress in building the capacity of your institution. The following are some of the updates i wish to highlight;

1. His Excellency the President listened to your plea in your memorandum at last year’s retreat and your fuel has now been enhanced. I am sure you know this. I will also continue to discuss with Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to see that your fuel for monitoring is further increased gradually over the years. However, for the Office of the President to convince government to appreciate your roles as a key priority and, therefore, justify the need for further facilitation, you must prove your worth and relevance. You must, therefore, perform your core mandate. You must fight and stop the diversion and wastage of public resources through intensified inspection of government projects. You are the gate keepers and watchmen of the Government in your respective stations. You should fight impunity in government work uncompromisingly. We are there to support you. The fight against corruption will never be successful if preventive measures are not well built. However, much as the other anti graft institutions are vigilant, their work is always after the crimes have taken place and, therefore, somehow post-mortem. The real sustainable approach which will also simplify the work of IGG, CIID, AG, etc is strict inspection and monitoring in real time, that is, right at the point of expenditure. You can therefore see how critical your role is. I am grateful to most of you that have stuck to your roles. We get good feedback about the majority of you. The impression about the roles of RDCs is now more positive with many citizens trying to regain confidence in your work. Keep it up and my office shall continue to support you. I am however disappointed with some of you that continue to take your work casually and not serious. Some of you as you know yourselves continue to be habitual absentees at work without any authorization to be out of station, be it for short or long periods. This will not be tolerated any more, irrespective of what justification you may have. Those of you who have been in the habit of absenting yourselves for prolonged terms without approval from Office of the President have exhibited the highest form of corruption by continuously drawing salaries and monitoring funds which you have not worked for. I am therefore cautioning you against this vice. And i hope we shall candidly discuss this during this retreat. If you are supposed to be the chief inspector and yet at the same time you are the one who is perpetually absent, what then is the meaning of your work?

2. We must all adopt a standard method of work. If it’s monitoring, what is it that the RDC/DRDC should pay attention to on routine basis? His Excellency the President has firmly given the following instructions in writing and I am reproducing them here for your reminder; – Discovering whether services and resources meant for the people are received. For instance, are teachers getting their salaries? Are the teachers teaching or are they spending the whole day under the mango trees conversing? Is the Operation Wealth Creation reaching the beneficiaries for whom it is intended? – Monitor the roads and find out whether government is being overpriced. Find out whether medical and veterinary drugs are being diverted. All leaders at the district should make sure that the government programmes benefit the ordinary person. This is your primary responsibility. – Sensitization of the public about how to live right. District officials should help government eliminate loopholes that can cause diseases or poverty. I urge you to work like you owe this nation a service. Building of a nation is not a duty, it’s a pleasure to all that love their country and there is no price tag to this. Therefore when you are at work, bear in mind that this is your Country. His Excellency the President also emphasised that you should listen to petitions from citizens, coordinate crime and intelligence reports with technical actors like DISO and Police.

3. The Other Key task of your work should be to communicate government programmes and other messages of national guidance. Ministry of Information and National Guidance in collaboration with Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) have by a policy instrument secured Government free airtime on all radios and even many radios are always willing to host you at any time to pass on messages relating to government programmes. If most of you have not yet taken this seriously, how then will you undertake this major task of communicating government programmes? Through the radios and other field outreach programmes, the population should be mobilized to engage in profitable commercial production for enhancement of household incomes. Standard messages by HE the President on this very subject have been produced and you have copies in easy to read and understand format. So you should propagate them without relenting. It should be made clear to the citizenry that whereas government has its primary roles of building infrastructures, maintaining peace and stability, etc., the citizenry ought to work on their own towards improving their individual households. Moreover this is even better simplified with the numerous subsidies of inputs that government is giving. All these need to be emphatically and repeatedly explained to the people. You are the ones to do this.

4. For those of you intending to enter elective politics, the constitution and other laws give a chance to do so. You should also know the procedure to take. However it is very wrong for some of you to abandon your stations and relocate to your prospective constituencies to engage in early politicking. This is not acceptable. I have given instructions to the secretary Office of the President to meet all of you concerned for proper advice. Engaging in Partisan politicking is also an issue many of you ought to be cautious about especially as we approach the election period. Do not engage in local politics. You should by all means strive to be above the divisive local politics and stick to your roles of inspection and security coordination.

5. As RDCs you are legally mandated to be the chairpersons of the District Security Committees (DSCs). This is meant to coordinate the work of all the security actors in the district and ensure that the respective security committees right from the village up to the Sub County level are in place. They are the bedrock of foundation security. You heard recently the IGP making this clarion call as one of the key basic prerequisites in the fight against violent crime and terrorism threats. It’s your duty and not any other to ensure that the local security system in the district is functioning. We shall once again in this retreat take you through various presentations including how to source information about government programmes and how to communicate it even when I personally presented and discussed this for you at last year’s retreat. As your supervising Minister and Office of the President in general, we expect you to pay keen attention to the following core activities/functions; · Periodic inspection and monitoring of government programmes with special attention to areas identified above. Once again let me re-emphasize that as a monitor/inspector, you need to know what to inspect. In the past, His Excellency the President directed that RDCs/DRDCs should launch/commission all projects/programmes in districts.

However, I am reliably informed that some Chief Administrative Officers have stubbornly refused to avail you information regarding these programmes or you have been deliberately sidelined by the different implementing entities. I will use this retreat as an opportunity to talk to the CAOs and harmonise about the need to facilitate launching and commissioning of government works both at start and end respectively. Communicating relevant and factual messages/information about government programmes in your respective districts to the community and highlighting government achievements in each Financial Year or even a quarter of Financial releases. Being resident and full time staff in your districts and therefore taking full charge of your stations. You are not only civil servants but security chiefs and therefore should be alert all the time. · Convene and chair Security meetings. You should make sure that Security meetings are convened as regular as they ought to be so as to give a platform for all the Security actors in the district to come together and coordinate work. We shall, therefore, be assessing your performance on these core tasks. Your monthly reports should as well highlight what has been done and achieved along these tasks. There is also need for you to improve on your reporting.

My advice to you is that; separate Incidental reports from the routine monthly reports. While monthly reports will be general covering how your office has tackled the above tasks, incidental reports should be on specific incidents e.g. detailing a particular corruption case, Insecurity or some unusual occurrence like an epidemic in your district that you would want government to either immediately respond to or advise on. Incidental reports can be submitted to my office at any time as the incident occurs, as you continue filing the routine monthly reports. However, in all these reports strive for completeness, accuracy and timeliness. Let the issues be properly presented with evidence or leads/clues that can further be followed. Don’t just write hearsay. As I advised last year in my key note address, to ensure completeness, your report should answer the questions of what, When, Where, How and Who? These should guide not only your reporting but also help you in inquiries to obtain facts which you will then feed in your reports. Strive for consistency so as to reflect progression of events in your districts. For instance; if last month you reported about poor state of roads in your district, and in your actions taken, you had brought it to the attention of Sector Engineer UNRA or District, and maybe they made a pledge to fix the defects, your subsequent report should reflect whether the situation has improved or not (current status). This is the idea about progressive reporting. Failure to report is a sign of unseriousness and each of you will be held responsible for that. We now have requisite capacity in Office of the President to review all your reports in time and take appropriate action. Some government agencies are also beginning to take seriously the feedback you give to the Central Government through your reports. The DISOs who are also staff of Office of the President and are technical in the field of information gathering and processing, should help you in analysis and collaboration of evidence especially when following up cases of impropriety in the delivery of public services.

Therefore make good use of each other. I commend many of you that are so far doing right and sticking to your brief as quite often emphasised. You can do more and you should do more. I would love to quantify in the coming years in real monetary figures the amounts of money government is able to save or recover as a result of your strict monitoring and inspection efforts. Let us all aim at this. I thank you for listening to me.

Frank Tumwebaze (MP)

Minister in charge of the Presidency and Kampala Capital City Authority

April 21, 2015
Making Sense Of Dr Besigye’s Ever Emotive Speech And Prophecies Of Doom

By Frank Tumwebaze

Last week the Daily Monitor led with a story of Dr Kizza Besigye telling the public in Luweero that “an unstoppable people’s revolution was imminent” and that neither the police nor army would save President Museveni and the NRM government from collapsing. Whereas this narrative from Dr Besigye is not new and therefore not worth responding to, it is important, however, that the perspective in which he indulges in these empty prophecies is explained for all to understand his illusions over the years. That is the thrust of this article.Frank Tumwebaze (in yellow) with his boss President Yoweri Museveni at a recent function in Kamwenge. He has called on Besigye to quit politics of doom

It is important for Ugandans, especially those that have backed Dr Besigye for the three times he has offered himself for presidency (and failed), to ask why despite his endless threats, predictions of a political tsunami and prophecies of doom, President Museveni’s government instead moves from strength to strength while the opposition grows weaker by the day.
To understand this, one must understand Besigye the person. He is a man consumed by the crave to be President at all costs, a crave that now drives him to engage in daylight dreaming.

When Dr Besigye authored his paper in 1999 that gradually led to his exit from the NRM a year later, it came off as an outcry by someone who felt ill-treated and marginalized, yet even then he didn’t offer substantive arguments about his claimed marginalization. It was mainly his outbursts about being on “katebe” and how “chicken was being unfairly shared” in the Bush etc. These certainly couldn’t be any grand ideas of a dissenting and aspiring leader to talk of, and as to be offering alternative leadership. Whereas there was an attempt to cloth it as a critique of the NRM then, and how it had veered off its ideals, it was clear that this was a scape goat to use and project himself into national political limelight and launch a political career that has instead turned into a journey of frustration and disappointment.

His ‘famous’ paper then, was devoid of correctional measures, if at all anything had gone bad in the NRM but also the fact that Dr Besigye ignored NRM’s internal platforms for dialogue, hierarchy of leadership (some called it jumping the queue) and opted to go public over his concerns (and later presidential runs) pointed to a person driven by ambition to achieve one thing—becoming president as opposed to pushing for genuine reforms in a political group one belonged to. While having ambition is not bad and indeed not a crime as some one said recently, misguided ambition however without a clear justifiable cause can be disaster and frustrating.

Dr Besigye’s initial presidential bid signature political trade mark was the hammer, and to Ugandans who had for long endured a history of violence and anarchy orchestrated by leaders of wrong ideologies, couldn’t buy into this outfit of his, erroneously cobbled as “reform agenda”, when actually there was no “reform” to talk of , but just his sole individual ambition “agenda”. Ugandans discerned this from the onset and rejected him. This resounding and successive rejection from Ugandans was the beginning of Dr Besigye’s frustration and anger. Any keen follower of his actions, speeches and tone of bitterness, infantile prophecies of doom against President Museveni, would see a man deeply frustrated.

Dr Besigye to date continues to leave in denial. He cannot believe that the country continues to make great political, economic and social strides despite his loud pronouncements of doom. His attempts to shamelessly and falsely portray Uganda as a failed state have instead earned him more and more resentment from the citizens, and his support has kept on dwindling.

Frank Tumwebaze has invited Dr Besigye (in the pix ) to shun his politics of reactionary ideology and return to this realm of clean political discourse. This is what the NRM believes in

As a fresh graduate and a keen youth activist in the late 1990s, beginning to deepen my understanding of political issues, I paid keen attention to the person of Dr Besigye. His rather emotive and exaggerated views about what was obtaining in the country was also shocking. Even with his deep-seated anger visible, and lack of a track record as a reformer in government despite holding key positions, I still sought to understand what informed his world view. I wondered what motivated his passion for vengeance against a leader and liberation movement he had participated in. Whether he felt betrayed because of any deviations from the core tenets of the NRM struggle by President Museveni or whether it was his own personal feeling and belief that he was unfairly treated was an issue for observers to judge and understand. But the answers were all there for one to see. He was simply petty and only pursuing personal vendettas without offering sensible reforms. He was frustrated and driven by an exaggerated ego. Having understood his background, I disagreed with him from the on the set. And I wish to respectively tell Besigye that leaving in denial over issues that are widely seen by the majority of Ugandans is not only engaging in futile ventures but also self deception. Ugandans of all status, are able to understand and differentiate between the politics of form and substance. The politics of the answer and politics of the anger as Tony Blair used to say. The politics of revolutionaries and reactionaries, as well as the politics of Pluralism that are anchored on contestation of ideas. I therefore invite Dr Besigye to shun his politics of reactionary ideology and return to this realm of clean political discourse. This is what the NRM believes in.

In his text of dissent, Dr Besigye has always fallen short of speaking the language and articulating the issues that matter most to the common citizenry. Issues that affect peoples’ livelihoods. One either expected to hear from him articulating strong alternative policies on how to manage the macro-economics better or even give a clear policy strategy on relevant livelihood sectors like land use, agriculture reform, efficient health care and may be also talk about citizenry empowerment in all aspects. To the contrary, his was all set out to be nothing else but a rabid hate agenda against an individual called Museveni. It’s this campaign of hate that Besigye wanted to recruit Ugandans into, Albeit unsuccessfully.

Counting His Endless Doom Pronouncements

Right from the year 2000 and throughout the successive periods of his campaign, Dr Besigye did not only Demonize president Museveni as a dictator but also engaged in heavy and emotional exaggerations (hyperboles) about the situation of Ugandans. His famous threats and prophesies of doom aimed at threatening Ugandans into submission were dramatic. From claiming 90% army support that never was , Besigye promised of how the Museveni government would collapse in just months. He prophesied of a tsunami coming soon to sweep the NRM, promised Masaka residents that they would line the streets to see President Museveni return to his Rwakitura farm after a humiliating defeat, etc , etc. So his latest one that the army and police will abandon Museveni just simply adds on to his long list of illusory pronouncements.

Uganda’s Progress Unstoppable

The story of the remarkable progress uganda has registered under the Museveni administration can never be erased or re-written. That we can now finance our own development needs at over 80%, construct over 3000kms of Tarmac in 3 years and achieve almost rural electricity and water coverage almost in every sub-county of both urban and rural Uganda, in addition to the many other developments, all being done with our own domestic resources and yet again still have the likes of Dr Besigye preaching pessimism, Ugandans can never accept to be taken for a ride. Whether Museveni stays longer as president and the aspiring ones like Besigye have to wait a little bit longer, is not an issue to give Ugandans any sleepless nights. What is crucial, is not who occupies state house and for how long, but rather who can diagnose correctly the livelihood ills of all and can fix them. This is the bitter truth Dr.Besigye and company must first comprehend and later come to terms with.

The writer is Kibale County MP and Minister in Charge of the Presidency and Kampala Capital City

Frank Tumwebaze, MP
Minister in Charge of the Presidency and Kampala Capital City, Government of Uganda

March 4, 2015
Faith Love’s Sickle Cells Story Before She Succumbed To The Disease

By Faith Love (RIP)

Faith Love has fought a good battle until she lost her dear life to sickle cells R.I.P #Faith Love. She was a warrior and this is what she had to say….RIP; Faith Love

Pain is what I do know best in my life. I have suffered a lot of physical pain due to my red blood cell disorder as sickle cell is defined. My life has not been a walk over because most of my dreams haven’t come true as yet because sickle cell has somehow retarded some of them. When I think I am at a point of achieving some of my dreams my health has always found a way of getting me delayed. I had to miss school for three years because of bad health.
It has been through Faith and God’s grace that I am alive today. People would look at me sometimes with my yellow eyes and wonder what was wrong with me.

I have heard many say discouraging, disturbing and terrifying things about my condition and the disease in general. “she will never make it to five they said when I made ten years, they thought that that’s as far as I can go, when I made it to sixteen and now to twenties, they are speechless and realize their theory doesn’t work. Little did they know that this added emotional pain to my physical pain.
My life seemed a weak. All the people’s negativity is actually nothing compared to the pain I go through as a sickler. For the rest of my life I have to be on daily medication. Since life is dearly loved, this can be put up with.

What any sickler understands most is pain, forget about the labor pains that the ladies go through during delivery its worse that when it comes to sickle cell because the labor pains are very much bearable. Sickle cell gives me the perfect description of pain a more realistic meaning compared to the dictionary meaning. Regardless of age, you wail like a little baby when crisis sets in. It feels like all body bones have been broken or fractured. It feels so terrible that I just can’t imaginatively explain the feeling.

I have been taken to hospitals many a times almost unconsciously lost in pain. I could not afford any body movements. When I get to hospitals, I have all sorts of things running through my mind always wondering what more bad news the doctor is going to break to me. Considering the complications that come along with the disease the leg ulcers, bone infections, body organs are at a risk of damage anytime, nerve injuries the risks are endless.

Each day in life of a sickler is lived by God’s grace. Personally I can say it has all been God and family support they tirelessly stand with me in the darkest of my days. There are so many of us each with a different story to tell, though the stories and experiences may differ, there is always a common factor in all of them the sickle cell anemia crisis experience.

I have personally had two very disturbing experiences. The first being massively transfused until my hands could barely take it in my blood count could not go up and the pain seemed so constant. I remember staying in hospital for more than a month , feeding on morphine, getting pricked so many times because the veins on my hands were traumatized and in the process veins blocked and the cannulas could not do their job because I could not bear the pain in the swollen veins not to mention the aching hands.

I perfectly remember surrendering my feet to do my hands job. I had my blood transfusions through my feet it felt like there was a vampire within me. I got more than five units of blood for the start to my and to the doctor’s surprise when they checked again to see how much blood I had, I had about 2g/dc. At this point, I had to go back to have these transfusions afresh. I was so frustrated that I gave up. I just watched and listened to whatever decision the doctors came up with because deep inside me, I had given up the fight I don’t see any other way out of this. What I perfectly kept count of though was the amount of blood that my body received I got more than 20 units of blood and when I took a good look at myself in the mirror I can never forget what I saw: a skinny yellow me from head to toe. I had never been so scared of me like I was at that time. I can never ever forget the yellow version of me. All there was a bloodless yellow me all smelling of morphine.

The other terrifying experience is when I had to spend a big time in hospital being treated of an unknown infection on the most painful drug I have known to date. There was something disturbing to me about the time these drugs were administered to date. There was something a bit stale about the time to date. I am still a little biased about 12am, 12pm, 6am, 6pm each time those particular hours strike, and everything went dead silent. A chill of cold wind gushed through the ward I was admitted in. Everything including the time stood still and my heart almost pumped out of my chest and at other times it seemed to stop at the sight of any medical personnel that approached the bed I lay on.

To date when the clock strikes those particular hours, it feels like the nurse is approaching me to administer that very painful drug. My worst night mare in this whole experience was a student nurse administering this drug in a rush. I recall her telling me,” Faith, please don’t cry because if you do, you will wake up the patient in the next room.” She said this because she knew how painful the drug was and knew that I cried each time I received this drug. As if we didn’t have equal rights as patients! She left me with a permanent scar of a nail less thumb which reminds me of her, hospital and sickle cell anemia as well. Am grateful to my mother for sticking with me through all these nasty experiences of my sickle cell life.

Now that am here, I am not giving up. I am set out to achieve all my dreams because I honestly deserve it. So I will go for it all and I am not letting people or sickle cell put me down because Iam WARRIOR, A SICKLECELL WARRIOR.

January 28, 2015
We Are Grooming Sheila For International Market – Frank Gashumba

Two weeks ago, i posted on Facebook that Sheilah had started doing a new show on NTV called Exclusive Access on The Beat. 97% of the comments were people supporting her and prayed for her, as usual, and i always expect it, The saddists commented that what is so unique with NTV, its a local TV.

At the age of 11, Sheilah was the youngest person to cover the CHOGM event in Kampala, basically the same air The Queen of England was breathing is the same air Sheilah was breathing.

She is doing it again, Mnet and Channel O this weekend , she is the first Ugandan to cover the Red carpet at the prestigious Channel O Music Video Awards 2014 in South Africa, I repeat, The Red Carpet.

When i tell you that we are grooming Sheilah for International Market, people think we are idlers. Every big company you see has ever been a small company, every important person you see started small. Dont expect to jump from nowhere, we are what we continuously do and think.

Surround yourself with Ambitious People and God will turn your dreams into reality. We must want to be successful as much as you want to breathe. Barrack Obama defined from the poorest background to the White House. Pope Francis from a night club bouncer to the World’s Number One. Nelson Mandela, 27 years in Prison, 1st South African Black President. Oprah was demoted from a TV show because they claimed, she wasn’t fit for TV and now she is a billionaire through TV, Michael Jordan after being cut from his high school basket ball team, he went home, locked himself in his room and cried and now he’s among the most respected basketball player.Frank Gashumba said they are grooming Sheila Gashumba for international market

When we think positive, positive things happen in our lives and the sweetest revenge of all is Success, nothing make saddist crazier than someone leaving a positive good life and for you my friends who are out fighting for a positive life, Whoever is trying to bring you down, is already below.

Do you guys know that the most paid people on this planet are not Academicians; they are entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, actors.

Thank You to the NTV team Aggie, Xena, Jackie and Ethiopian Airlines.

November 27, 2014
UNICEF Condemns Actions Of Brutal Maid Violence Against Baby

Calls for Urgent action needed to end violence against children

UNICEF condemns the actions of a maid recorded to be brutally beating a one and half year old Ugandan child.
“The video of this baby being beaten is shocking,” says Aida Girma, UNICEF Uganda’s Representative. “Any such act of abuse and violence against children is completely unacceptable and a violation of every child’s fundamental right to be protected.”Ms. May Anyabolu, UNICEF Deputy Representative, Uganda

Around 3.5 million children between the ages of 6-17 – 32% of all 6-17 year olds – currently experience physical violence in Uganda today.

According to the international Committee on the Rights of the Child, physical violence is a form of “any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light. Mostly involves hitting (“smacking”, “slapping”, “spanking”) children, with the hand or with an implement like a whip, stick, belt, shoe, or wooden spoon. But it can also involve, for example, kicking, shaking or throwing children, scratching, pinching, biting, pulling hair or boxing ears, caning, forcing children to stay in uncomfortable positions, burning, scalding, or forced ingestion.”

UNICEF is calling for immediate action to be taken to prevent and respond to all current and future cases of violence against children in Uganda, particularly for:

1. The Children’s Amendment Act to be urgently passed;

2. Significant additional resources to be allocated to prevent and respond to all cases of violence against children in Uganda, and;

3. All people who know of such cases to report them to the Child Helpline SAUTI by dialling 116 so urgent action can be taken

“No child deserves to be hurt or mistreated in any way. We call on Government and all Ugandans to once and for all put an end to the atrocious violence too many children in Uganda continue to experience,” Girma emphasized.

November 24, 2014
US University Awards Female Ugandan Entrepreneur

The United Graduate College and Seminary International of Tennesse, US has awarded an honorary doctorate degree to Goodra Tumusiime Behakanira, for her exemplary performance and contribution to the business sector at Serena Hotel in Kampala on Saturday.Goodra Behakanira (R) after receiving her doctorate

His Excellency Prof. Clyde Rivers PhD the chief chancellor of the college awarded to Goodra and 16 others for an exemplary contribution to society, including the business sector that has inspired many people including young women into business and entrepreneurial sector and helped build the Ugandan economy bringing about global good.

Goodra, an orphan hailing from an impoverished home in Kabale District almost failed to go to school due to financial constraints at an early age. But later ended up a teacher, she was not content and so opted to join business.

Using savings from her previous job, she opened a general merchandise shop in Kabale in 1985. She later ventured into second hand clothes and made a kill of money. Goodra later expanded her business dealing with Rwandans, Congolese and Kenyans, increasing her capital investment in the process.

“With the political stability by the NRM government, in 1991, I was encouraged to expand. I opened a wholesale in Kikuubo in Kampala. And imported mattresses, beer and soda from Kisumu in Kenya. Six years later when local factories started making those products they became unprofitable. So I shut down the shop and ventured into textiles,” Goodra said.

With her husband, the late Joseph Behakaniira, they set up the multi-billion shillings Avemar Shopping Mall.

“What I had in mind was providing affordable shops for especially women to sell in. This venture paid off and also I managed to forge good working relations with government and the tax authority that guided me a lot on taxation processes,” Goodra explained.

After establishing numerous businesses and properties, they sought for other investment opportunities and ventured into security business. They registered Snow White Security Limited which employs 150 guards.

“We sold the land where Garden City sits and built J and M Airport Road Hotel. That construction work employed 500 people. Unfortunately my husband died five years after its opening. But I never gave up but continued with the business.” Goodra added remorsefully.

Although she was denied a license to establish St. Joseph International University in Entebbe she decided to start a shopping mall now called Joma Supermarket in Bwebajja on Entebbe Road. Targeting mainly travellers to and from the airport.

It is not all about business with Goodra, she is a philanthropist with a heart. “I am a very religious Catholic woman. I take pride in building catholic churches and Virgin Mary grottos all over the country, sponsoring seminarians (most of whom join priesthood) and nuns for further studies,” she revealed.

Goodra now runs The Behakanira Foundation which provides educational and scholastics assistance to less advantaged children to enable them earn an education that she never had herself.

Goodra Tumusiime Behakanira was honoured as the best woman entrepreneur of 2009 by the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Limited (UWEAL) and was among those President Yoweri Museveni awarded the Nalubale Medal in 2014.

“I am very grateful that a university in the US could really recognise my efforts, I expected that higher institutions in Uganda would take note of my efforts first.”Goodra said.

The function was attended by Prof. Mondo Kagonyera Chancellor Makerere University, Sudhir Ruperelia, among others.

November 24, 2014