CECAFA In The Stands

In my life i had never dreamt of photographing sports pictures.  Instead, being a freelancer, i sat in the stands as a spectator for a few games of  the recently concluded 36th edition of the CECAFA tourney. CECAFA is the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations, which  Uganda has won a record thirteen times. And this year, it was held in Namboole, Kampala-Uganda.

                                                               Fans throng the stadium

The Uganda Cranes Uganda’s national team emerged champions  for the thirteenth time and conceded only one goal.

The tourney saw the world’s newest country South Sudan also participate in their first international football encounter though it was eliminated in the group stages.

                           A South Sudan player (red&black) heading for the ball

                      Some girls entertaining the public at the opening

                                       Excited fans singing anthem

             Young boys watching a helicopter traversing the Namboole skies

For a few games, save for the final, i sat as a spectator and fan of the Uganda Cranes at the stadium looking at 22 big men running after a piece of 12 patched pieces of leather and here are some some moments  i got.

Free and Cheap

AIDS is the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome that is caused by a virus called HIV. The virus is contracted through a number of ways; having multiple sex partners, but also having unprotected sex, use of  used needles, syringes, razor blades and the like. It’s a disease that has no cure but can be prevented. In Uganda, every person has been affected in one way or the other . At least everyone has lost a relative due to contracting the disease.

Free condoms like the above is one of the ways to prevent contraction of the disease. But also using the gadget carefully is another

Ever since this scourge came into being, a number of Non-Governmental Organizations, Government, Aid agencies and other international corporations have been and are still struggling to find solutions.

The introduction of Anti-RetroVirus (ARV’s) has slightly improved the situation, where the infected now live longer and positively but this has increased the number of new infected people.

According to a 2011 United Nations Aids (UNAIDS)  report,  the scourge prevalence rate is now at 7%  with about 1.3 million people living with the virus.  And yearly, there are new infections on the rise, amounting to 130,000.

Despite introducing  free and cheap condoms, ARV’s, there still seems a laxity in taking precautionary measures carefully. Some people still live a luxurious and careless life.

Wedding Day: Nabukwasi

Getting married is one of the things many people crave for in life. It comes with costs- financially, emotionally and also being a life commitment. The other day, I overheard one young woman saying, she does not mind whether her marriage lasts for only three days for as long as a man takes her down the aisle and for as long as she dons the gown.

Below, i captured some pictures of my sister who is just a month in this institution, marriage.

Balawoli: People’s Parliament

Balawoli is a sub-county located in Kamuli district east of Uganda. Of late, it has adopted the Neighborhood Assemblies an idea it borrowed from Kisumu, Kenya. The Neighborhood Assemblies is a people’s parliament, a parliament based at the grass root level which holds its leaders like Members of Parliament, Counselors, Local Council persons accountable.  This  parliament and this district in particular was formulated to seek for proper accountability. In this district is also where the Speaker of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda Hon. Rebecca Alitwaala Kadaga hails from.

The Speaker Of Parliament of Uganda (above) and the Balawoli speaker in Robes

The first of it’s kind was first introduced in Rakai  district (about 205miles/303km) from Kamuli and south of Uganda bordering Tanzania. The latter has also been introduced in Kabale, Tororo, and Kayunga. To achieve this, the Development Network of Voluntary Indigenous Associations (DENIVA) has been on the forefront

A cross section of the plenary listening

As poor service delivery hinders the locals, the neighborhood assemblies has been established to force leaders accountable.

Balawoli speaker receiving instruments of power from the Speaker of Parliament of Uganda, at the Neighborhood Assemblies’ launch

The education minister of Balawoli parliament (L) consulting his senior

Ociti

Might this be a commissioner’s house, residential bungalow or a resource center? or is it a house on sale? What’s your guess?

It’s a health center in Amuru district. Ociti (read as ochiti) is a new health centre 2 at parish level in Amuru district, Lamogi sub-county one of Uganda’s newest districts. It was constructed by the government of Uganda and has never been used for the last two years after completion.  No doctor, nurse nor single drug has been posted here.

The abandoned Ociti health center and above the would be staff quaters

Inadequate health services is just one of the outcomes of new district creation. Many women in Acholi region where this health facility is located are challenged by inadequate health services.  In Uganda, 16 women die daily while giving birth, trek long distances to get health services and many others die on the way to access the “nearest” center. Thousands of people affected by the LRA 20-year war still cannot afford adequate and appropriate health services. Some Challenges affecting the health sector especially in the rural setting like Ociti village include demotivated health workers, low salaries, unqualified personnel, drug theft and so many more.

In a recent state of the nation address to Ugandans, health workers’ input was not recognized at all.

Building Amuru

Amuru is one of the newest districts in northern Uganda out of the 111 that exist. Formerly part of Gulu district the largest town in Acholi sub-region, Amuru is one of the formerly Internally Displaced Camps (IDP’s) that sheltered persons afflicted by the Lord’s Resistance Army war that lasted for 20 years.

On a highway to the district central business district

The war which affected the entire Acholi region, hindered the socio-economic well being of the people there. Whereas it may be growing gradually, Amuru is facing a number of challenges. High rates of illiteracy, land grabbing, high ends of poverty, inadequate access to social services like health facilities, poor or no Infrastructure is just another– where people still stay in grass thatched houses, roads are bush logged.

Some of the homesteads at bay

An information center once existed, where information was accessed easily. After the war, it’s now non- existent

Land grabbing is one other where big chunks of land of the Acholi indigenous people is being owned through dubious means under the pretext of investment. Last month, a group of women undressed for Madhvani , a Ugandan business man of Indian origin in protest for grabbing their land to plant sugar cane growing. Oil mining is one activity causing controversy in this new district as well. There are mixed reactions between the investors and the owners of the land The indigenous people say they have not been properly consulted about the activity and are not sure of the dividends yet the activity is ongoing in their land.

Ever since the introduction of Universal Primary Education (UPE), this region has probably not gained at all. The quality of education is still wanting.  Many children cannot express themselves freely, not even pronounce their names in english

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Reblogged from :

This is one of the most amazing animals i have seen before, because of its amazing heights

Photo Of the Day: IMAGINARY PUNCHES

Reblogged from Echwalu Photography:

IMAGINARY PUNCHES: Children pose for pictures in a former IDP camp located in the suburbs of Gulu town on April 14, 2012. The launch of Kony 2012 (Part I and II) by Invisible Children has thrown back world attention on northern Uganda for both the good and the right reasons. Locally, the video has been criticized largely for misrepresenting the issues happening in northern Uganda.

Conflicts and misunderstanding within a society breed more and more fights. But for sure, this picture reveals, contrasts the reflections, relationship between the past and future, the epitome of FULL RECOVERY

The Hibi in Pair

For some time now, i have been looking critically at the way trees behave during  weathering and i find it amazing. I realize that trees have time for transpiration have a period they produce flowers, leaves  and so on but it all depends on the season.

But did you ever know that leaves and flowers drop off to the ground in pairs? It’s unbelievable but true. I found these flowers all abandoned and i thought about sharing them.  They are images of a pink hibiscus. Check them

City Taxi Dives in Subway

I had decided not to share these pictures, cause this might be terrifying. But If you are phobic to images of accidents and other disturbing pictures, please shy away from this.

Just a couple of weeks ago, while in the city,  i saw a Kampala commuter taxi plunge into the subway which is adjacent to the Parliament and Serena Hotel. The Namugongo bound taxi failed in its breaks and hit the circular fencing of the subway which houses a restaurant and a church down under. All 16 people on board inclusive of its driver and his money collector got serious injuries. It was such a loud bang, i was just 100 meters away from the scene and the unexpected happened at this notorious spot.

What amazed me most is is that it took an effort of about 45 minutes to rescue the victims to hospital.  There was no ambulance despite the fact that the police acquired new blue ambulances recently. All the victims had to be transported on police pickup trucks as it has become the Ugandan norm.These very trucks cases ferry corpses, sick people, criminals of all  sorts and many more.

Passersby rescue the victims

The driver of the taxi, sits atop of a roof in amazement after jumping out of the taxi