Author: Isaac Imaka

The introspective debate must have started with a reflection about how come I had never seen an acre of sweet potatoes in Busoga yet Busoga claimed it was our staple food, then it me­andered to how come agri-production had reduced and to whether or not resurrect­ing the Busoga railway would help in switching on the agri-production lights to ignite the region back to development. It was those thoughts that led me, in late 2022, to the WhatsApp inbox of former Kigulu North MP, Edward Baliddawa Kafufu to pick his mind on an argument I was trying to build for revamping…

Ambassador Robinah Kaburara Kakonge, Uganda’s Ambassador to the United States of America and Non-Resident Ambassador to Paraguay, presented her Letters of Credence to President Santiago Pena of Paraguay on March 4th, 2024. The ceremony, held at the President’s Palace in Asuncion, Paraguay, was characterized by warm greetings and cordiality as President Pena welcomed Ambassador Kakonge to Paraguay and congratulated her on her appointment. Ambassador Kakonge expressed gratitude to President Pena for Paraguay’s representation at the recent Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and G77+China Summits hosted in Uganda, emphasizing the strong multilateral ties between the two nations. She underscored the importance of enhancing…

My father, Nathan W Mugabira, peace be upon him, served, in his retirement, as Namulesa Village LC 1 secretary throughout my teenage years. Our home usually doubled as the village court; and there I witnessed grassroots based management, leadership, community engagement and the art of problem solving at play almost daily. One thing that stood out was a practice that whenever a new person joined a village, they would first report to the LC Secretary with a letter of recommendation or introduction from the LC of their previous host village. That letter spelled out key facts about the individual joining…

Dear Mr President, Congratulations to you, the National Resistance Movement, and the heroes of the NRA war upon reaching 38 years of peace, development, and ideologically rich Pan Africanism. One of the many great achievements of the NRM government in Busoga has been fighting ignorance through education. In 1985, the area currently known as Jinja North County hardly had a secondary school for the rural poor folk. The neighbouring Kiira College Butiki was for the rich. Jinja Senior Secondary School, the only community school nearby, was both far and expensive for the rural folk. There were very few Primary schools…

In a significant boost to the environmental conservation efforts of the Kyabazinga of Busoga, William Gabula Nadiope IV, the Greening Busoga Initiative has received thirty million tree seedlings from the GRO Foundation. The initiative, aimed at restoring and conserving the environment in the kingdom, aligns with the Kyabazinga’s vision for a greener Busoga. The donation and program brief were officially received on December 21st by Busoga Kingdom’s second deputy Prime Minister, Owek Alhaj Osman Ahmed Noor, on behalf of the Kyabazinga. The GRO Foundation delegation, led by founder Paul Mukalazi Senoga Flynn, and officials from the Inter-Religious Council, including Mr.…

The pre 1980 Jinja was a clean town. The municipality leadership could afford to pay casual labourers to pick garbage and to sweep to keep the streets in mint condition. There were garbage skips across town placed in locations identified by the town planners as garbage collection centres. The town residents understood their role in keeping the town clean. After the collapse of the town in the 1970s occasioned by the Structural Adjustment program (SAP) policies, the municipality became finically incapacitate to finance the town cleaning budget and so the casual labourers had to be laid off. The streetlights went…

Hoima, Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom: In a splendid display of unity and tradition, the Kyabazinga of Busoga, His Royal Highness William Wilberforce Kadhumbula Gabula Nadiope IV, embarked on a momentous visit to the renowned Karuzika Palace. The purpose of this visit was to meet His Royal Majesty Dr. Solomon Gafabusa Iguru I, the esteemed Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom. This historic encounter took place on a Saturday, with the Kyabazinga’s arrival at the Karuzika Palace being met with an august reception. Senior Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom officials graced the occasion, including the Chairman of the Royal Commission, Omujwarakondo Dr. Kabagambe Kaliisa Ateenyi, the Prime…

The Kyabazinga of Busoga, William Wilberforce Kadhumbula Nadiope IV, will walk Inebantu Jovia Mutesi down the isle come November 18, 2023 in what will arguably be one of the biggest events in recent years. Events of this magnitude happen once in a lifetime and the current generation is proud to witness one. It is an event that will be talked about for many years to come. The wedding of the first of all men is no ordinary wedding and Basoga both in the country and abroad as well as friends of Busoga have come up with reckless abandon to mobilize…

Hon Henry K. M. Kyemba is dead. He died on the morning of Thursday 19 October 2023 after a long illness. Though, born in 1937, Henry Kyemba grew up thinking he was a 1939 born. Now living in a 1966  colonial design house in Jinja, Kyemba fits the description of a been-there-done it all type. Starting out as a civil servant, at independence, Kyemba has served in governments and has been friends with all Presidents that have served this country, including Idi Amin who he later lived to hate and led a campaign to have him out. Having had a…

Phillippians; Chapter 4, verse 6 says do not be anxious about anything, but in every situa­tion, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. It is with the same zeal that Busoga leaders under their umbrella associa­tion Busoga Consortium have just completed a week of prayer ostensibly to beseech God to deliver recon­ciliation, peace and help to end the jinx of poverty that has plagued the region for decades. This is indeed a welcome move and one of the greatest initiatives the Busoga Consortium has come up with. History is full of people and society who upon…