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Report: Most schools can’t control fires

Fire outbreaks in schools have been a persistent issue, with the police regularly issuing reports on such incidents.

The 2023 annual crime report indicates that there were 61 recorded fire outbreaks in schools, an increase from 55 reported in 2022. These tragic incidents resulted in the deaths of at least 64 individuals in 2023 alone, spanning across educational institutions at all levels throughout the country.

The 2024 National Build Review Board report sheds light on the fire safety standards in Ugandan educational institutions, revealing a concerning lack of compliance with established fire safety measures.

According to the report, dormitories are the most vulnerable to fire outbreaks, often with catastrophic consequences. The most severe incidents typically occur at night when learners are asleep, disproportionately affecting the youngest pupils, those under 10 years old, and those with special needs.

These fires not only lead to the tragic loss of life but also cause significant injuries, extensive property damage, and profound emotional and psychological trauma among survivors. The report underscores the urgent need for schools to adhere to strict fire safety protocols to prevent such devastating incidents in the future.

The report reveals that among the 132 schools visited, most lacked critical fire safety measures, including designated fire safety officers, fire assembly areas, fire alarm systems, fire hose reels, fire hydrants, fire exits, emergency exit signage, fire extinguishers, and fire sprinkler systems.

Notably, King’s College Budo was found to be the most prepared in the event of a fire outbreak, scoring 65 percent. It was followed by Uganda Martyrs High School at 55 percent, with Hillside Nursery and Primary School, and St. Michael Lubaga Hospital Training Schools,, each scoreing 50 percent. On the other end of the spectrum, Namilyango College and Christ Giant High School were among the least prepared, each scoring only 15 percent.

The report indicates, “School dormitories were overcrowded, and they housed students beyond the recommended capacity. Lubiri Secondary School had 60 students, which is the maximum recommended number; Namilyango College had four extra students; and Makerere College had three, among others.”

The report also highlighted issues of overcrowding in dormitories, noting that many housed students beyond their recommended capacities.

The board emphasized the need for increased sensitization of learners and school administrators about fire safety. It also called for the strict enforcement of building standards and prioritized the goals of fire prevention, early detection and alarm systems, and the safe evacuation of learners in its recommendations.

Prominent cases of fire outbreaks in schools

On March 18, 2024, a tragic fire at Victory Nursery and Primary School in Busia resulted in the deaths of four children. Previously, on October 29, 2023, another fire at Kasana Junior School in Nyendo, Masaka claimed the lives of seven pupils, with four additional pupils hospitalized.

October 25, 2022, was marked by a devastating incident at Salama School for the Blind in Mukono, where 12 learners perished and four were treated for burns. The police determined this fire was an act of arson. On January 15, 2022, a fire at New Crest Kibedi School in Kawempe led to the deaths of four children, and two others were admitted with respiratory issues.

Ministry of Education

Following the release of the report, Ketty Lamaro, the permanent secretary for the Ministry of Education and Sports, announced that the ministry will conduct inspections of boarding facilities during the school term. Appropriate actions will be taken against school operations that do not meet the required standards.

“A checklist for assessing compliance has been developed for use during inspections. School managers should carry out self-evaluations and address necessary improvements ahead of the inspection,” she stated.

The checklist for compliance includes several requirements: a valid registration certificate for the school from the ministry, written permission to operate the boarding facility, and proof of ownership, lease, or tenancy agreement of the school premises, which must be drawn up by an advocate or lawyer for schools in rental locations.

Also required are approved building plans, up-to-date daily dormitory registers, and food safety guidelines. Additional safety measures listed include functional safety and security committees, school-based policies on safety and security, lightning arrestors, CCTV cameras, regular fire drills, secure fencing, and controlled access.

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AI on WhatsApp: A game changer or privacy concern?

As technology companies continue to advance rapidly in AI-based technology, they are transforming the daily operations of human work.

In a significant development, billions of WhatsApp users recently received a complimentary AI chat-based upgrade on their smartphones. This upgrade was rolled out following Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, introducing its own AI chatbot, Meta AI, in September 2023.

The Meta AI chatbot on WhatsApp functions similarly to other AI-based software and applications that people globally have become accustomed to, such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Brain Assistant, Google Bud, and Microsoft Binge. This integration into WhatsApp marks a pivotal step in making sophisticated AI technology accessible to a vast user base, enhancing their everyday communication and productivity tools.

According to Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Meta, as quoted on the Business Today website, “We are rolling out this new version, which we believe is now the most intelligent AI that everyone can freely use. We are integrating Google and Bing to give it real-time knowledge. We are integrating it across Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram messengers, right into the search box at the top. So, whenever you have a question, you can just type it into the apps. We are rolling out a bunch of unique creation features that are cool. Meta AI can animate any image for you. But one of the most astonishing aspects is that it now generates high-quality images so quickly that as you type, it creates and updates them in real time.”

According to IBM, artificial intelligence (AI) is defined as technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human intelligence and problem-solving capabilities.

The Meta AI chatbot features include being conversational, where the Meta AI chatbot can understand and respond to prompts provided by a user. The conversational features of Meta AI involve the use of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning processes.

Unlike the free version of ChatGPT 3.5, which is limited to updating information from the internet up to the year 2022, the Meta AI chatbot on WhatsApp has access to current, up-to-date information about events happening around the world, thanks to its access to search engines like Google and Bing. It can also provide information based on news articles and social media posts.

The chatbot can translate popular languages such as Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Russian. Similar to ChatGPT, the Meta AI chatbot on WhatsApp can generate text when the user inputs the correct prompts and can also summarize given text. Additionally, the chatbot can generate images within seconds based on the accuracy of the prompts the user inputs.

WhatsApp Users Comment

When this writer interviewed several WhatsApp users, they shared their opinions on the integration of AI into the app. Michael Ainomugisha sees the addition of AI on WhatsApp as a win-win situation.

“There is no need to download an artificial intelligence-based application from the Play Store, since artificial intelligence is now readily available on the apps I use like WhatsApp,” he noted. However, he also expressed concerns: “The introduction of artificial intelligence on apps like WhatsApp is problematic because you cannot be sure of the authenticity of the conversations you have. This could lead to doubt, as people might think most conversations are based on AI-generated texts,” Michael added.

Cassius Itabaniza commented on the functionality of the Meta AI chatbot on WhatsApp, noting its reliance on information from sources like Microsoft Edge.

“It’s a good basic AI that can generate images based on one’s imagination,” Itabaniza asserted.

Joshua Okello, a student from Uganda Christian University, shared his experience using the Meta AI chatbot on WhatsApp.

“The Meta AI chatbot, which is powered by Lama 3, can only perform basic tasks like creating images, explaining text, and giving news updates based on website sources,” he explained. Okello highlighted that unlike ChatGPT 4, which has access to plugins for data analysis, the Meta AI chatbot lacks such capabilities, restricting it to more basic AI functions.

Okello also mentioned the limitations in generating images with notable figures. “I tried to generate an image of Putin and Elon Musk having a local brew in an African setting, but the chatbot failed to generate the image.”

As AI technology becomes a more integral part of daily life, it’s crucial for governments to enact legislation that controls the use of artificial intelligence, ensuring that people can coexist and adapt to a world where AI is increasingly prevalent in our day-to-day lives.

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How traffic jams are killing children mentally, physically

Diana Twebaze, a resident of Nansana and a mother of two, starts her day early, waking up at around 4am to prepare her children for school. Her goal is to beat the notorious early morning traffic jam.

However, despite hitting the road by 5am, she finds the streets of Nansana, a municipality in Wakiso district, already congested with cars, taxis, and motorcycles. This daily challenge often leaves her worried that she might drop her children off late at school.

“We wake up every day at 4am, and by 5am, I am taking the children to school. But whenever we get stuck in traffic, my little girl gets worried about reaching school late. Sometimes, she even suggests taking a boda boda (motorcycle) to get there early! Over time, I’ve realized that the time we spend in traffic jams has affected my children. When I pick them up from school at 5pm, the heavy traffic on Kasubi road and in Nansana means we end up reaching home around 7pm. By then, the children are often too tired to have their supper,” asserts Twebaze.

Twebaze noted that the prolonged exposure to traffic jams has impacted her children; they hardly get enough sleep, have limited time to play, and often experience anxiety when going to school due to the fear of traffic jams.

The ordeal of Twebaze regarding the negative effects of traffic congestion is just the tip of the iceberg that Ugandans face today, as the situation with traffic jams is getting out of hand.

According to information from the World Health Organization website regarding sleep requirements, it notes that toddlers (1-2 years old) need 11-14 hours, preschoolers (3-5 years old) need 10-13 hours, school-aged children (6-12 years old) need 9-12 hours, and teenagers (13-18 years old) need 8-10 hours respectively.

However, with the current trend of ever-increasing traffic, most Ugandans have resorted to reducing their sleeping hours, often affecting children, in an attempt to overcome traffic congestion.

When The Observer reached out to Dr. Paul Nyende, a social psychologist and lecturer at Makerere University, to comment on the effects of traffic jams on people and children, he pointed out that most people focus only on the negative economic consequences that traffic jams have on their wallets, without considering the negative mental and physical complications such as fatigue and stress that accrue when people are stuck in long traffic queues.

HUMAN EMOTIONS

“If the road designs are poor, they have consequences on human emotions. Human emotion is affected by poor designs, which is an element of environmental psychology that looks at how the design of the environment affects the person. That’s why a poorly designed city street will cause frustrations, anger, bottlenecks, and impatience. That’s why people from countries with well-built streets are less likely to be as frustrated by emotions brought about by traffic jams as people who come from an environment where the streets are narrow and prone to traffic jams,” Nyende asserted.

Speaking about the negative impacts of traffic jams on children and adults, Nyende highlighted, “Children suffer a lot when they are stuck in long queues of traffic jams. They might experience stress and have limited avenues to counteract stress, unlike adults who can engage in various activities to revitalize themselves. Sometimes people relax and have relaxation exercises, which children might not be able to do. Sometimes adults seek guidance and counseling to counteract stress which accumulates over time from traffic jams, which children cannot do. The stress experienced by children when they are under traffic jams is bottled up and accumulates.”

Dr Nyende added that prolonged exposure to traffic jams for children can result in increased frustration with school due to lack of enough sleep, leading to anxiety which, in the long run, affects a child’s academic performance.

“Traffic jams can lead to minimized parental guidance within children, and this is due to the fact that parents are mostly concentrating on driving the children to school. In most cases, some parents who let their children be taken by school shuttles very early in the morning in the hope of beating traffic have less time with their children, thus limiting the parent-child relationship and, in a way, the traffic jam situation affects the relations of parents and children,” he asserted.

Furthermore, Nyende noted that the early departure of children aiming to beat traffic leads to disruptions in their sleeping patterns, resulting in disorientation during school hours. Upon returning from school, they have homework which, in most cases, they do from the cramped car stuck in traffic. By the time they reach home, they are normally tired, and this, in the long run, affects a child’s eating behaviors. In most cases, children normally refrain from eating food at home when they are normally tired.

In addition, Nyende noted that traffic jams have a way of affecting people’s marriages. “If one party gets home early and the other comes home late due to heavy traffic, this results in limited interaction among married couples. This will at times result in stress, which some married couples might display toward their partners due to spending a long time in the traffic jam. You have worked in the morning for eight hours and you spend over four hours in traffic. I think you can’t be the same loving individual at home, which ultimately strains interpersonal relationships among people living in a family and results in a breakdown of relationships, loss of marital satisfaction, and thus might result in violence,” he said.

Dr Nyende advised motorists to always buy land in places that are less prone to traffic jams. “It might be good to live in a nice spacious home with a big compound, but in the long run, it becomes useless to stay there when you are always faced with traffic jams that always end up in stress and anxiety.

I often tell people sometimes it’s not worth it to buy land in areas like, let’s say, deep Mukono that is prone to traffic jams. Put your home on 10 acres, wonderful! But the stresses you go through coming to town and going back home can sometimes be so difficult, which at times can result in illness and marital problems. This is due to being under tremendous stress because some people have to wake up at 4am, start driving, take children to school, and then going back home can be a nightmare. When it rains, you can spend four to five hours on the road,” he added.

Nyende also advised motorists to always be patient in scenarios where they are stuck in traffic jams and he discouraged motorists from flouting traffic rules and regulations to avoid further commotion, which leads to more traffic jams. Nyende also encouraged motorists who are stuck in traffic jams to entertain themselves.

This can be through watching a movie, listening to music, or a podcast while in the long jam queues. This, in the long run, helps motorists come back home less stressed and also helps the children with their parents in long queues of traffic jams to be refreshed, which helps them better deal with the frustration that accrues over time due to traffic jams.

When The Observer reached out to the spokesperson of the Uganda Traffic and Road Safety, Superintendent of  Police Michael Kananura had the following to say regarding the ever-increasing traffic jam in Uganda: “The traffic jam is stressful for many people, particularly during peak hours in the morning and evening when people are rushing to work or taking their children to school. Motorists often have specific time limits to drop off their children or arrive at work, leading to congestion on the roads. Additionally, during lunch hours from 12 noon to 2pm, there’s increased traffic as people drive to eateries. In the evenings, congestion rises again as people leave work and pick up their children from school. Even during children’s holidays, traffic congestion persists, albeit to a lesser extent. This trend of increasing congestion is attributed to the rising number of vehicle owners.”
 
UNDISCIPLINED ROAD USERS

Kananura noted that traffic jam in Uganda is mostly caused by the indiscipline of drivers who disregard traffic rules and regulations.

Kananura emphasized that the Traffic and Road Safety Department of the Uganda Police continues to carry out sensitization programs to promote behavioral change among motorists, aiming to mitigate traffic challenges.

Addressing challenges faced by the Traffic and Road Safety department, Kananura mentioned a shortage of manpower compared to the increasing number of vehicles on the roads, particularly noting the overwhelming ratio of vehicles to traffic officers.

Kananura advised motorists to display patience and adhere to traffic lanes, stressing the importance of discipline to avoid exacerbating traffic congestion.

Furthermore, he encouraged motorists living in areas prone to traffic congestion to utilize public transportation like taxis, and during lunch breaks, encouraged walking to reduce traffic congestion.

While traffic jam poses economic challenges, with statistics from the World Bank indicating significant losses for Uganda, there are beneficiaries of the phenomenon.

Hawkers selling various goods and services in Kampala and the development of communities around the country, facilitated by improved access due to traffic congestion, are among the positive outcomes. This includes the establishment of community schools and businesses closer to residential areas, reducing the need for long commutes.

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Museveni told lies, Nakivubo is not Afcon standard

On April 24, 2024, President Yoweri Museveni presided over the official reopening of the newly refurbished Nakivubo War Memorial stadium.

The renovation of this facility was spearheaded by businessman Hamis Kiggundu, commonly known as Ham. President Museveni commended Kiggundu’s efforts, emphasizing his role as a testament to the ruling NRM’s philosophy of ‘yes we can.’

During his speech, President Museveni detailed the strategic rationale behind leasing Nakivubo stadium to Kiggundu. He described the agreement as a clear and straightforward business transaction where the stadium was leased for redevelopment using private funds, with the costs to be recouped through business operations spanning 49 years. This approach, Museveni argued, moves beyond traditional ownership models to emphasize wider benefits for the Ugandan community.

Museveni emphasized the essential role of private investors like Kiggundu in advancing national development.

“If we have the private sector who can undertake such tasks as guided by the government and according to government standards, then there’s really no problem,” he stated.

The president affirmed that the renovated facilities comply with the standards required by Afcon and other international bodies, expressing his satisfaction with the project.

“I have seen the facilities; I have been assured that they meet the standards of Afcon and other international groups; so, I’m very pleased. Now, we have Namboole, which is a government one; this one is also government but now leased to Kiggundu for 49 years,” he said in a statement issued after the visit.

However, some experts and sports enthusiasts familiar with global sporting standards have raised concerns, disputing the claim that Nakivubo stadium currently meets all the Afcon standards. They are suggesting that there are still areas requiring further enhancement to fully comply with international requirements.

A sense of fulfillment must have filled the inner being of Ham Kiggundu after President Yoweri Museveni officially commissioned the newly revamped Nakivubo stadium last Wednesday. Kiggundu, a businessman and proprietor, had been drumming up excitement since last year about his ultra-modern stadium, which he hoped would bolster Uganda’s bid to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

Indeed, the new Nakivubo stadium, or Hamz stadium as some prefer to call it in reference to the investor, represents a significant departure from the old facility that was demolished in 2017. The interior of this new stadium, beyond its entry and exit points, boasts truly beautiful facilities.

However, the lingering question is whether the visually appealing interior of the new Nakivubo stadium is sufficient to encourage Ugandans to anticipate it as a venue for Caf (the African football organizing body) and Fifa-sanctioned international games. According to the Caf Stadium Regulations Manual released in 2022, stadiums today are classified into four categories, accrediting them for international football, starting from the lowest level.

For example, Category One stadiums host Women’s Fifa youth football qualifiers and Women’s Champions League qualifiers. Currently, stadiums like the Fufa Technical Centre in Njeru and the old KCCA FC stadium in Lugogo can host events at this level.

Category Two stadiums permit matches such as Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, under-age men’s Afcon qualifiers, and final tournaments, as well as the Caf Champions League (Confederation Cup) preliminary round games. These matches can be played at stadiums like St. Mary’s Stadium, Kitende the home ground of Vipers SC.

The third category of stadiums qualifies to host both group and quarterfinal games in the Champions League and Confederation Cup, as well as Afcon and Fifa World Cup qualifiers. Additionally, they can host a Women’s Afcon and Champions League final.

Furthermore, Category Four represents the pinnacle of stadiums on the continent. These stadiums are where Afcon and Africa Nations Championships (Chan) tournaments are held exclusively. Semi-finals and finals of the Caf Champions League and Confederation Cups, along with the Caf Super Cup, can only take place in stadiums certified for this category.

The new Nakivubo stadium is reportedly in this Category Four. According to the Caf stadium regulation manual, a Category Four stadium must seat a minimum of 30,000 spectators. However, Nakivubo stadium currently seats 20,000. Yet, with plans to expand its seating capacity to 35,000, concerns about meeting the criteria for a Category Four stadium will likely diminish.

Category Four stadiums are supposed to have four dressing rooms. This rule was established under the assumption that such stadiums would host major football tournaments like the Afcon. Therefore, on any given match day, they would accommodate two football matches, one following the other.

In this scenario, as was the case at the recent Afcon in Ivory Coast, the first two teams in action would occupy two dressing rooms. However, this does not mean that the teams involved in the second match would need to wait for the first teams to vacate their dressing rooms before beginning their match preparations.

Instead, they would utilize the two additional dressing rooms. During a tour of the new Nakivubo stadium, it was observed to have only two dressing rooms. That being said, Category Two, Three, and Four stadiums are required to have a training facility adjacent to them, complete with a dressing room capable of accommodating at least 23 people.

The training facility must also be equipped with floodlights, three showers, three urinals, and two toilets, all within a securely fenced area to ensure the safety of players. Currently, Nakivubo stadium lacks these facilities, and there is no space available to construct such a setup.

This situation raises concerns about the accessibility of Nakivubo stadium. The area around the stadium is exceedingly cramped, complicating the implementation of Caf regulations, which require convenient access for buses transporting players. The main road surrounding the stadium is narrow and often congested with informal traders and shops.

Moreover, the bustling activity in Kisenyi, a suburb adjacent to the stadium, heightens safety and security concerns. Although Nakivubo has a sizeable parking area, one of the major Caf safety conditions is that few vehicles should be inside or directly outside the stadium. For mass spectator events, vehicles should be parked at a distance from the stadium, similar to the arrangement at Namboole stadium.

Women behind the lens: ‘When your sister does your hair, you don’t need a mirror’

Photographer Darlyne Komukama and her friends set up a roving hair salon for Black women to ‘convene, connect and converse’

This photo was taken as part of an art project called the Salooni that I created with three other Ugandan women: Kampire Bahana, Aida Holly-Nambi and Gloria Wavamunno.

UK Sanctions Ugandan Politicians Over Corruption Claims

[DW] The sanctions target parliamentry speaker Anita Among and two former ministers for the Karamoja region who allegedly stole thousands of iron sheets from a government housing scheme.

Over 70% of Ugandan workers lack legal contracts – Workers’ MP

Workers’ representative in parliament, Arinaitwe Rwakajara, has raised concerns about the employment conditions in Uganda, stating that over 70 per cent of workers are employed without legal contracts to safeguard their rights at work.

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) Labour Force, Employment and Earnings report for 2023, only 38 per cent of Ugandan workers are employed in positions that match their qualifications; the remainder take any available job to survive.

“We are soon seeing medical doctors working as human resource managers, and communication officers working as doctors,” Rwakajara commented on the misalignment of job roles in the workforce.

Highlighting a startling discovery, Rwakajara recounted an incident during his tenure as chair of the committee on Gender, Labour and Social Development.

“One time, we invited a government institution to the committee and asked them to bring an accountant. The individual they brought was actually working as a gatekeeper. It was shocking, and we had to restructure that institution,” he explained.

Rwakajara also noted that a vast majority of the workforce, over 87 per cent, is employed in the informal sector. “Including those in agriculture, it accounts for 99 per cent of informal sector workers. Only one per cent of the population is employed in the formal sector,” he added.

Furthermore, he pointed out that 29 per cent of bosses in informal sector enterprises lack previous work experience. “They have never worked anywhere and don’t know how to engage and relate with workers. Yet these are the groups that employ most people in Uganda,” he said.

Evelyn Anite, the state minister for Investment and Privatization, also spoke on the subject, reflecting on her commitment to industrialization in Uganda as a means of job creation for youths.

“But speaking to over 50 workers’ unions in Uganda today, I realized that I need to add protecting workers’ rights such as health benefits, decent wages, and social security benefits to my list of passions,” she stated.

Rwakajara urged employees to focus on strategic actions within trade unions to address pressing issues affecting workers by building networks in security circles, courts, economic policies, and politically-driven areas.

“Trade unions have empowered workers worldwide to advocate for their rights. Even our forefathers, like Ignatius Musaazi, leveraged trade unions to combat colonization and achieve independence in East Africa. It’s crucial to show solidarity in trade unions to support workers’ rights,” he stated.

Rwakajara emphasized the necessity for workers to adapt and rebrand themselves within labour movement unions to avoid worsening conditions.

“If you don’t defend your rights, you are in trouble. Adopt the Social Movement Unionism approach, which aims at building alliances. It’s high time trade unions ally with other groups like political, economic, security, civil society, women, cultural, and religious groups to defend our rights,” he added.

He explained that when unions collaborate with these groups, they can exert greater pressure on governments and employers to address social and economic injustices at work.

This was discussed on Friday, April 26, at the Serena hotel in Kampala during a workshop on dealing with contemporary challenges in labour movement unions. Rwakajara also called on employees to combat corruption at work if they aim to transform the country into a place their grandchildren can be proud of.

He highlighted ongoing challenges such as corruption, unprotected workers’ rights, unfair wages, poor working conditions, individual contract bargaining, informal employment, and unfair labour practices which have hindered the country’s development.

He noted that employers have shifted from negotiating with trade unions or groups of employees to individual negotiations, exploiting workers’ desperation for jobs.

“The challenges trade unions face today were also confronted by Russians and Europeans in the 1880s in Europe, which contributed to their development. Let’s fight for our rights at work,” he urged.

Rwakajara criticized most employers in Uganda for not prioritizing labour as a crucial factor of production, which often leads to business failures within a year.

“Why do investors in Uganda pay for all other factors of production but gamble on paying salaries? It’s up to us, the workers, to fight for better working conditions,” he concluded.

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In spite of the calamities back at home, Palestinians in Uganda keep hope alive

A group of Palestinians living in Uganda and those in solidarity with Palestine have been meeting up one to two times a month the last half year to show support to the victims in Gaza trapped in the war between Israel and Hamas, share information on the situation and stories from people in Gaza and raise money to support families in need.

As Ashley Aine writes, they have so far raised more than Shs 17m for relief and medical supplies to victims of the ongoing war. Trapped in the war between Israel and Hamas that started on October 7, 2023, around 40,000 innocent Palestinians, mostly women and children, have lost their lives.

Since the start of the war, which is currently being investigated as a genocide by the International Court of Justice, Dr Kassem has been in constant contact with family and friends working in the relief and medical profession in Palestine.

As a result, he has grown increasingly concerned about the resources needed to save lives and treat the ailing and injured. His testimony is just one of the dozens that came out last week during a meeting of ‘friends of Palestine’ at Encanto restaurant in Kamwokya.

In fact, it is from this background that he during the last 6 months have been an active member of ‘Friends of Palestine’ and supported the group remarkably to raise funds for relief and medical supplies to send to his home country.

Him and the more than 200 well-wishers have for the last half year been running several monthly gatherings at different locations in Kampala to show solidarity with victims, share information on the situation and stories from people in Gaza on top of collecting donations to be send to Palestinian families in need.

On April 7, marking 6 months of war, about 50 of the members of Friends of Palestine met at Encanto restaurant in Kamwokya to light candles for victims of the conflict and afterwards, made donations in solidarity. The week after they organized a second-hand flee market with a paid buffet and sale of keffiyeh and t-shirts. The total of 1,2m collected will be sent to Palestinian families in Gaza together with the remaining collected donations during the month of April.

“Yesterday’s proponents of international humanitarian law and the responsibility to protect doctrine are today’s supporters of the worst bloodletting attack on civilians in Palestine/Israel since the end of British rule and the possibility of a regional/ inter-regional war is increasing daily – with Israeli air attacks on multiple location in Sinai, increased tension in the Golan Heights and the Yemenis Houthis latest involvement,” DR Kassem says.

“To see what is happening in Palestine is horrible, the country is being destroyed. With my friends and well-wishers, we want to get relief items so we can give them to vulnerable people to make a difference. In Uganda, I have realized that many people want to offer their support and any help is much appreciated.”

One of the group founders and organisers says that the aim of the group is to share information and make a stand for Palestine. They hope to build a momentum which can enlarge the group and strengthen their voice.

“Our idea is to spread awareness of what is happening and to voice our opposition. It is social, peaceful events where people can choose to come and it has been inspiring to see more and more people from all over the world joining.”

ORGANIZATION

The group has strict guidelines meant to ensure that they do not disrupt other people’s peace as described in their group:

“Our gatherings are strictly peaceful, any conversations we have is respectful and decent. Any hate speech or comments that contain antisemitic slurs are strictly prohibited”.

“We are mindful of and respectful to the venues we hold our meetings. Any negative attitude done by any of us is taken against the whole group and affects the image of what we stand for; so, we don’t make chants.”

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Business and Management Graduates Can Become Climate Change and Sustainability Champions - Lessons From Uganda and Tanzania On How Universities Can Support This

[The Conversation Africa] There is no doubt about it: the world is in the grips of a climate crisis. The headlines are full of reports about extreme weather events and the negative effects of the fossil fuel industry.

Researchers set out to discover challenges for female creatives

“As female artistes, most of us are not so much in leadership roles because it is hectic and we are usually bullied during policy making discussions. Female creatives have also never been recognized; we have never had any projects specifically tailored for us as it is in other sectors of the economy,” Phina Mugerwa “Masanyalaze”, singer and secretary of Uganda Musicians Association expressed some of the frustrations women creatives go through in the industry.

The creative industry has recently become a go to source of livelihood for very many young people including women. However, due to the dynamics of this male dominated industry, most young women have found it challenging to thrive and realize the full potential of their creativity.

Therefore, the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation are set to carryout research on young women and gender-based inequalities in Africa’s creative sector through a project they are calling Behind The Scenes.

The project aims to generate and disseminate evidence on the multiple and intersecting issues impacting young women creatives access to dignified and fulfilling work in 7 African countries Uganda inclusive.

Behind the Scenes takes a multi-method, multidisciplinary and participatory research and policy engagement approach to generate evidence, strengthen research capacity and advance policy and workplace action to end the marginalization of young female creatives in Uganda.

Research under the project will prioritize actively and meaningfully engaging young creatives and researchers as partners, while uniting multiple disciplines, including gender studies, the creative arts, economics, demography, sociology and social work to generate in-depth contextual understanding and yield constructive and practical findings.

While launching this research project in Kampala recently, Kirabo Suubi, a gender economist at ICRW said that female youth creative face a lot of gender inequities in the creative sector but since all these happen behind the scenes, there is no much clear evidence on how far these inequities go.

“There are gender inequities that hinder female creatives from fully benefiting from the opportunities within the creative sector. So Behind the Scenes aims to respond to the growing calls for deeper insights and the rigorous evidence to enable effective strategies that address gender disparities in Uganda’s creative sector,” Suubi said.

She added that this sector is important because it is a gold mine and the most dynamic and growing sector with a projection that by 2040, it will have contributed to 20 million new jobs in Africa alone and bring in additional $20 billion to Africa’s economy and therefore they seek to bring to light all this evidence so that collectively with policy actors and other stakeholders they come up with recommendations and solutions on how to best support these female creatives.

According to Naumo Akoryo, commissioner for Culture and Family Affairs in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, challenges faced by female creatives include lack of investment capital to produce their works, gender-based conflicts at household level due to the nature of the work, limited skilling and capacity building since many of them are not educated to the levels of men thereby not being able to utilise the knowledge and skills they have to lobby for support in their work.

“One of the biggest challenges at national level is absence of evidence based data. We last did a mapping for the creative sector ten years back. So we believe that with the evidence which is going to come out of this research, we shall use it to justify the contribution of female artistes to the economy, lobby for financing, market their work, improve their skills and address other challenges they might be facing in the sector,” she said.

The ministry in 2014 together with UBOS did a mapping where it was found that there were 42 percent women in the creative sector while the men were 58 percent. The 42 percent were mainly in film, audio visual and craft sectors. The study also showed that there were 386,000 people employed in Uganda’s creative sector with the sector contributing 3 percent to GDP. In 2022, another mapping was done still with UBOS to see how the sector is progressing but the results are not yet out.

Akoryo also noted that the ministry has developed another policy on the culture and creative industry since the one of 2006 only had only had aspects on intangible cultural heritage but not the creative and commercialization aspect of culture in the country. The new policy is due to be submitted to cabinet for approval.

SOMETHING IS BEING DONE FOR THE FEMALE CREATIVES

However, Charles Batambuze, the Vice Chairperson of the Uganda National Cultural Forum (UNCF) which is the umbrella body for associations within the culture and creative industry said they are making strides for equality within the sector with increased awareness and appreciation that even women can do certain occupations within the creative sector like deejaying, photography, directing, videography and even do them better.

He added that many businesses that are employing female creatives are now aware that people with the same level of skills and experience should rewarded the same way regardless of gender and it is being implemented.

“The best way is to support these women and put in place systems that protect them when they are at work whether during day or night. For instance, production houses or clubs can put in place policies that protect women in the workplace such that they limit instances of sex abuse and other forms of discrimination,” he said.

Batambuze further noted that through the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women, a World Bank funded project targeting women enterprises across the entire economy, UNCF is working with Private Sector Foundation Uganda to ensure that women artistes participate and they have held several meetings with women that own businesses within the creative sector to inform them about how they can benefit from this program and take advantage of the available opportunities.

Additionally, Batambuze noted that UNCF recently drafted a project of moving around the country educating female artistes on how to use digital platforms for commercialization of their work such that there are no third parties involved after noticing that there is a challenge of digital illiteracy among creatives yet with digitalization, artistes can now earn from their craft through various digital platforms.

“The research will create for us that evidence we can use in lobbying and advocating for certain changes within the sector and change in national regulations so that they incorporate policies that adequately cater for women creative,” he said.