Wednesday 30 March 2016

LIVE: Uganda's social media awards 2016


The 3rd Annual Social Media Awards Uganda Awards (#SmaUg16) ceremony has been held at the Serena Hotel.

"The Uganda Social Media Awards honor the best of social media, recognizing the people and organizations producing real-time short form content across Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Vine, Snap-chat and the rest of the social Web."


Award winners

  • Best Blog @campusbeeug
  • Best Brand @mtnug
  • Best Fast Moving Consumer Goods Brand on Social Media @cocacolaug 
  • Best Financial Brand on Social Media    @CentenaryBank
  • Best in Technology on Social Media @mtnug
  • Best Integrated Social Media Campaign
  • Best Media/News Outlet     @ntvuganda
  • Best Social Good Campaign  @Airtel_Ug
  • Best Use of Social Media by a State body / Individual  @nwscug 
  • Best Video / YouTube Campaign    @Kansiime256
  • Customer Care Across Social Media @Airtel_Ug 
  • Innovation & Best Mobile App   @mtnug 
  • Social Media for Small Business   @thePearlGuideUg





It's on, and here's what UOT are saying about it









#MujjeTulumbe: Simple maths. Uganda needs 2 wins from 2 games



Group D          P W D L F A Pts

B. Faso           4   2   1 1 3 1  7

Uganda           4   2  1 1 3 1   7

Botswana        4   2  0 2 3 4   6

Comoros         4   1  0 3 2 5   3

There is little mathematics in this. An analysis of all the groups and standings in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, shows Uganda's best chance of making it to Gabon 2017 is by wining both their final games.

The thirteen group winners will qualify automatically for the final tournament, while two runners-up among four-team groups with the best records will also qualify.

If Cranes beat Comoros and Botswana, which Micho must now prepare to do, they will either top the group or get one of two places reserved for the best runners up. (CLICK here for brilliant presentation by AFRICAN FOOTBALL COM of AFCON details)


Wikipedia graphic

Even that, the best runners up race, is tight and Uganda is currently ranked 4th best. 

An analysis of the remaining matches shows many of the top runners up still have to play their group leaders, which increases Uganda Cranes' chances.

You might notice I have not mentioned Burkina Faso in my story. Yes, we can do this without worrying about what they are up to.

RELATED STORY
LIVE: What everyone said about the match, on the pitch and off it (click here)




Photos via @bukeddeonline and @Soloestee



Tuesday 29 March 2016

LIVE: Hard luck as Uganda held by Burkina Faso in AFCON qualifier



FULL TIME

Uganda 0 Burkina Faso 0

Today's staring XI:

Denis Onyango (Goalie), Denis Iguma, Joseph Ochaya, Isaac Isinde, Hassan Wasswa Mawanda, Farouk Miya, Khalid Aucho, Geofrey Massa, William Luwagga Kizito, Emmanuel Okwi and Tonny Mawejje

Substitutes:

Robert OdongKara (Goalie), Mike Azira, Yassar Mugerwa, Moses Oloya, Timothy Awanyi ,Godfrey Walusimbi, Erisa Ssekisambu




Group D          P W D L F A Pts

B. Faso           4   2   1 1 3 1  7

Uganda           4   2  1 1 3 1   7

Botswana        4   2  0 2 3 4   6

Comoros         4   1  0 3 2 5   3






Next AFCON qualifying games

June 4

Botswana vs Uganda

Comoros vs Burkina Faso

September 3

Uganda vs Comoros

Burkina Faso vs Botswana

Monday 28 March 2016

Cranes back home, countdown to Burkina Faso game starts

The Cranes XI that started on Saturday. 
The team returned at 1am

Tuesday

Uganda vs Burkina Faso 7pm (Live SS9 & UBC)

Saturday

Burkina Faso 1 Uganda 0

Sunday

Botswana 2 Comoros 1

Group D         P W  D  L  F A Pts

B. Faso           3   2   0  1   3 1  6

Uganda           3   2  0  1   3 1   6

Botswana        4   2  0  2   3 4   6

Comoros         4   1  0  3   2 5   3

The national soccer team Cranes are back home and officials are confident they have their mind fully focused on a victory tomorrow.

A change in flights saw them arrive 12 hours earlier than earlier scheduled.

Despite the long flight, FUFA president Moses Magogo said the team "are not cry babies. We shall definitely stage a fight in Namboole on Tuesday."

In Saturday's game, Burkina Faso only broke down Uganda through a penalty in the 60th minute. 

"With the performance of the boys on the night, it is just a battle lost, not the the war. We shall definitely stage a fight in Namboole on Tuesday," said FUFA president Moses Magogo soon after Saturday's away game.

"I love the spirit of the players thinking it is Namboole or never. The morale is even higher," he added.


The Stallions of Burkina Faso flew into Kampala yesterday.

Uganda nearly got a similar opportunity in the last minutes of the game, but the Egyptian referee did not think an infringement was a penalty.

According to Magogo, "The centre referee confesses there was contact on Emma Okwi but ball was out of play."

ALL SET: Burkina arrived 11am
 Sunday, Cranes arrives 1am Monday



With three teams now in Group D at six points, the race for the automatic qualification first place is tougher than ever before. The 13 group winners and best two runners-up from 11 four-team groups qualify for 2017 Cup of Nations with hosts Gabon 




Friday 25 March 2016

MINISTER: Take that! ... JOURNALIST: Ouuch!!....


Uganda Journalist Assaulted By Minister Byandala Speaks Out

Walking off like nothing happened


The Video





His defence

“You know I am 60 years plus. I have been with my wife for years and I respect women. If you were there at court, somebody could see. But she talks about a wound, how can someone be boxed and she does not make noise?” he said in telephone interview with DAILY MONITOR.

Thursday 24 March 2016

President Obama dancing the Tango at the Argentina State Dinner





NPR: When in Rome — or in this case, Buenos Aires...

President Obama danced the famous Argentine tango with a lithe dancer in a shimmery gold dress during the official state dinner at the Centro Cultural Kirchner in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday night......(click FULL STORY)







THEN.......... :-)




Wednesday 23 March 2016

AFCON: D-Day for Uganda Cranes in Burkina Faso, Nigeria held and Algeria hammer Ethiopia 7-1



TODAY March 26 - Burkina Faso v Uganda 9pm

March 29 - Uganda vs Burkina Faso

Group D Standings

Team               P  W  D  L  F A  Pts

Uganda             2  2   0  0  3  0  6

Burkina Faso      2  1   0  1  2  1  3

Botswana          3  1   0  2  1  3  3

Comoros           3  1   0  2  1  3  3

"Encounters between Burkina Faso Stallions and Uganda Cranes have been close, the Stallions picking four points from the two legs of the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, and Cranes winning at the 2014 Chan. One of the two draws between the two was a friendly in 2006. Today is hardly a sociable one. This is a fight for territory, a clash of purpose." CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY.

Comoros, who are in Uganda's Group, stunned Botswana 1-0 in Thursday's Orange Africa Cup Of Nations Qualifiers first leg matches.

Comoros thus ended a 3,084-day wait for a first competitive international football victory. Ben Mohamed's goal on 56 minutes ended a 20-match winless run in World Cup and Cup of Nations qualifiers since 2007, when they were thrashed 6-2 by Madagascar in their first competitive international.

The big result yesterday saw Algeria hammer Ethiopia 7-1 while Nigeria were held 1-1. Saleh scored for the visitors in the last minute in Kaduna.




The Nigerians however face a huge fine from CAF for poor crowd control. Nearly 40,000 fans rushed into a 25,000 capacity stadium for the game.






In Ouagadougou, Cranes arrived in Burkina Faso and trained Friday at the stadium where the game will be hosted at 9pm Saturday.



(Full fixtures at bottom)

Group A

Tunisia 1  Togo 0

Standings  P W D L F A Pts 

Tunisia        3 2 0 1 9    2 6

Togo           3 2 0 1 4    2 6

Liberia        3 2 0 1 3     2 6

Djibouti       3 0 0 3 1   11 0

Group C

Mali 1 Equatorial Guinea 0

Standings

Mali           3 2 1 0 4 1 7

Benin          3 1 2 0 4 3 5

S. Sudan       3 1 0 2 2 4 3

E. Guinea      3 0 1 2 1 3 1

Group G

Nigeria 1 Egypt 1 

Standings

Egypt          3 2 1 0 9 2 7

Nigeria        3 1 2 0 3 1 5

Tanzania       3 1 1 1 1 3 4

Chad           3 0 0 3 1 8 0

Group I

Ivory Coast  1 Sudan 0

Standings

I. Coast       2 1 1 0 1 0 4

Sudan          2 1 0 1 1 1 3

S. Leone       2 0 1 1 0 1 1

Group J

Algeria 7 Ethiopia 1 

Standings

Algeria        3 3 0 0 14 2 9

Ethiopia       3 1 1 1  4 9 4

Seychelles     2 0 1 1  1 5 1

Lesotho        2 0 0 2  2 5 0

Group L

Swaziland 1  Zimbabwe 1 

Guinea 0 Malawi 0

Standings

Swaziland      3 1 2 0 5 4 5

Zimbabwe       3 1 2 0 4 3 5

Malawi         3 0 2 1 3 4 2

Guinea         3 0 2 1 2 3 2

Group M

Mauritania 2 Gambia 1 

Standings

Cameroon       2 2 0 0 2 0 6

Mauritania     3 2 0 1 5 3 6

Gambia         3 0 1 2 1 3 1

S. Africa      2 0 1 1 1 3 1


The President of Burkina Faso Roch Marc Christian Kaboré  has met the Stallions ahead of their key match against Uganda's Cranes. He promised to attend the match.







*******

Cranes coach Micho 

There were no surprises as Uganda Cranes coach Milutin 'Micho' Sredejovic Wednesday evening named 18 to take on Burkina Faso this weekend. 

Included are star players, Farouk Miya of Standard Liege in Belgium, and Sundowns goalkeeper Dennis Onyango. Denmark-based Emmanuel Okwi, who has had a long spell outside Cranes as he settled into his club, is also back.
THIS IS THE TEAM picked to travel:
Goalkeepers:  Onyango, Odongkara Defenders: Iguma, Awanyi, Jjuko, Isinde, Ochaya Midfielders: Waswa, Aucho, Mawejje, Azira, Oloya, Walusimbi, Luwagga Strikers: Massa, Miya, Okwi, Kiiza.


Belgium-based Miya (top) and Okwi (above) are in the team

  (see related story CLICK HERE)

Uganda, who are top of Africa Cup of National 2017 qualifying Group D, play Burkina Faso on Saturday, jump on the next plane, arrive Monday evening for the "return match" on March 29 under floodlights at Namboole. Their opponents Burkina Faso, on a chartered flight, will be here on Sunday.
Left in camp for home game on Tuesday are:
Goalkeepers: James Alitho (Vipers, Uganda), Salim Jamal (El Merriekh, Sudan) Defenders:  Joseph Nsubuga (Bright Stars, Uganda), Denis Okot Oola (KCCA, Uganda), Isaac Muleme (SC Villa, Uganda), Hassan Wasswa Mawanda (Al Shorta, Iraq), Bernard Muwanga (Bright Stars, Uganda). Midfielders: Yassar Mugerwa (Orlando Pirates, South Africa), Ivan Ntege (KCCA, Uganda), Mike Sserumaga (SC Villa, Uganda). Forwards:  Ceasar Okhuti (KCCA, Uganda), Edrisa Lubega (Proline, Uganda), Erisa Ssekisambu (Vipers, Uganda).

The 30 who were in camp

Goalkeepers: Dennis Onyango (Mamelodi Sun Downs, South Africa), Robert Odongkara (St George, Ethiopia), James Alitho (Vipers, Uganda), Salim Jamal (El Merriekh, Sudan)

Defenders: Denis Iguma (Al Itihad, Lebanon), Isaac Isinde (St George, Ethiopia), Joseph Nsubuga (Bright Stars, Uganda), Joseph Ochaya (KCCA, Uganda), Denis Okot Oola (KCCA, Uganda), Isaac Muleme (SC Villa, Uganda), Murushid Jjuuko (Simba, Tanzania), Hassan Wasswa Mawanda (Al Shorta, Iraq), Timothy Awanyi (KCCA, Uganda), Bernard Muwanga (Bright Stars, Uganda)

Midfielders: Mike Azira (Colorado Rapids, US), Aucho Khalid (Gor Mahia, Kenya), Moses Oloya, Yassar Mugerwa (Orlando Pirates, South Africa), Tonny Mawejje (Knattspyrnufélagið Þróttur, Iceland), Ivan Ntege (KCCA, Uganda), William Luwagga Kizito (Feirense, Portugal), Mike Sserumaga (SC Villa, Uganda), Godfrey Walusimbi (Gor Mahia), Farouk Miya (Standard Liege, Belgium)

Forwards: Geofrey Massa (Bloemfontein Celtics, South Africa), Emmanuel Okwi (Sonderjsyke, Denmark), Erisa Ssekisambu (Vipers, Uganda), Hamis ‘Diego’ Kiiza (Simba, Tanzania), Ceasar Okhuti (KCCA, Uganda), Edrisa Lubega (Proline, Uganda)




*******




Burkina Faso also recently named a strong team for the two games.

The Burkina Faso team

1- Abdoulaye SOULAMA: Heart of Oak (Ghana), 2- Daouda DIAKITE: Free State Stars FC (South Africa), 3-Koffi Kouakou: Asec Abidjan (Ivory Coast), 4-Bakary Kone: Olympique Lyonnais (France), 5-YAGO Steeve: Toulouse (France), 6-Abdoul Aziz Kabore: Valenciennes (France), 7-Bakary SARE: Guimarães (Portugal), 8-Abdoul Razak Traore: Konyaspor (Turkey), 9-Alain Traore: FC Lorient (France), 10-Aristide BANCE: Chippa United (South Africa), 11 Charles Kabore: FC Krasnodar (Russia), 12-Bakary Kone Dibba Al Fujayira (Emirates),
13-Jonathan Zongo: Almeria (Spain), 14-Yacouba MANDO: Kozaf (Burkina Faso), 15-Issouf DAYO: RC Berkane (Morocco), 16-Préjuce NAKOULMA Mersin Idmanyurdu Sport Klubu (Turkey), 17- Issa GOUO: ASFA (Ghana), 18. Jonathan PITROIPA: AL Nasr (Dubai), 19-Bertrand Traore: Chelsea (England), 20- Patrick MALO: JS Kabylie (Algeria), 21-Adama Guira: Sonderjyske (Denmark), 22 Cyril BAYALA: Daklyeh (Egypt), 23 Cyril kpan: USFA (Burkina Faso), 24-Yacouba Coulibaly: RCB (Burkina Faso), 25-Banu DIAWARA: JS Kabylie (Algeria)



*******


Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures match day 3 and 4

Wednesday

South Sudan 1  Benin 2

Chad             0 Tanzania 1

Sao Tome e Principe v Libya

Guinea-Bissau 1 Kenya   0

Zambia         1 Congo Brazzaville  1

Thursday

Madagascar v Central African Republic

Comoros v Botswana

Djibouti v Liberia

Ghana v Mozambique

Friday

Swaziland v Zimbabwe

Nigeria v Egypt

Ivory Coast v Sudan

Mauritania v Gambia

Tunisia v Togo

Guinea v Malawi

Mali v Equatorial Guinea

Algeria v Ethiopia

Saturday

Mauritius v Rwanda

Seychelles v Lesotho

Burundi v Namibia

Democratic Republic of Congo v Angola

Cameroon v South Africa

Cape Verde v Morocco

Burkina Faso v Uganda

Senegal v Niger

Sunday

Mozambique v Ghana 1300

Kenya v G. Bissau 1300

Botswana v Comoros 1400

Congo v Zambia 1430

Benin v S. Sudan 1600

Monday

Tanzania v Chad 1300

Zimbabwe v Swaziland 1300

Central African Republic v Madagascar 1400

E. Guinea v Mali 1600

Libya v Sao Tome (TBA)

Tuesday

Malawi v Guinea 1230

Lesotho v Seychelles 1300

Rwanda v Mauritius 1330

Ethiopia v Algeria 1400

Niger v Senegal 1400

Namibia v Burundi 1500

Togo v Tunisia 1500

Liberia v Djibouti 1600

Angola v DR Congo 1600

Uganda v B. Faso 1600

Gambia v Mauritania 1630

Egypt v Nigeria 1700

S. Africa v Cameroon 1700

Sudan v Ivory Coast 1800


Morocco v Cape Verde 2000



Details of the 70 charges LRA's Ongwen faces at the ICC

Ongwen at the ICC. FILE PHOTO

DOMINIC Ongwen will face 70 charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

He faces War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity for his role in the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) rebellion a decade ago in Northern Uganda.

ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber II confirmed the charges against  Ongwen and committed him to trial rial before a Trial Chamber.

According to a statement from the ICC, Pre-Trial Chamber II is composed of Presiding Judge Cuno Tarfusser (Italy), Judge Chang-ho Chung (Republic of Korea) and Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut (France) who adopted a separate concurring opinion. The decision confirming the charges can be appealed only with the authorisation of Pre-Trial Chamber II.






The ICC statement added that the ICC Presidency will assign the case to a Trial Chamber in due course.

"The Chamber concluded that there are substantial grounds to believe that Dominic Ongwen is responsible, pursuant to articles 25(3) (a) (direct perpetration, indirect perpetration and indirect co-perpetration), 25(3) (b) (ordering), 25(3) (d) (i) and (ii) and 28(a) (command responsibility) of the Rome Statute, for the following crimes against humanity and war crimes."

War crimes: 

attack against the civilian population; murder and attempted murder; rape; sexual slavery; torture; cruel treatment; outrages upon personal dignity; destruction of property; pillaging; the conscription and use of children under the age of 15 to participate actively in hostilities;




Crimes against humanity: 
murder and attempted murder; torture; sexual slavery; rape; enslavement; forced marriage as an inhumane act; persecution; and other inhumane acts.
The confirmed charges concern crimes allegedly committed during attacks against the Pajule IDP (October 2003), Odek IDP (April 2004) Lukodi IDP (May 2004) and Abok IDP camps (June 2004), as well as sexual and gender-based crimes directly and indirectly committed by Dominic Ongwen and crimes of conscription and use in hostilities of children under the age of 15 allegedly committed in northern Uganda between 1 July 2002 and 31 December 2005.



Bobi Wine marks World Water Day in Karamoja with Viva con Agua





World Water Day in Uganda IN PHOTOS: German photographer Klabautermann captured these shots as Viva Con Agua marked #WorldWaterDay with a tour of Moroto, Karamoja by Ugandan musician Bobi Wine.

Viva con Agua (VcA) is an international NGO supporting water and sanitation projects in Uganda. 

Bobi Wine visited the Viva con Agua and Welthunherhilfe water and sanitation projects, got involved in workshops by Breakdance Project Uganda, visited Moroto Municipal Primary School, and performed for the community alongside Maro, Octopizzo (Kenya), Megaloh (Germany), and many other artists. They will also shoot a music video together, to be released in all four of  their countries to promote VcA activities.

A #WeLoveYouganda Festival will also be held in Kamwokya, Kampala this weekend.

















Tuesday 22 March 2016

Ugandan woman leads the way as AMISOM rebuilds Somalia Police

Christine Alalo is carrying the Ugandan flag in Somalia

A Ugandan Policewoman is playing a key role in AMISOM efforts to build institutional capacity in Somalia.

Deputy Commissioner Christine Alalo yesterday led the police component of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) ) as they handed to the Somali Police Force (SPF) biometric and office equipment. They had a day earlier handed over a renovated Police Station.  

With economic conditions rapidly improving in Somalia and with relative peace in most towns, the country is rising again. AMISOM's effort is aimed an ensuring the Somali Police Force will play a crucial role in keeping the peace. 


Somali Police Force get biometric and office equipment 

According the AMISOM website, amisom-au.org  the equipment is meant to help the Somali Police Force establish an up-to-date biometric database and also aid in the implementation of an efficient personnel and financial management system.





The biometric equipment will also be used by the SPF’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) fight various types of crime, among them, terrorism, kidnapping and robbery with violence, which are a major hindrance in the Federal Government’s efforts to secure the country. The gadgets will also aid officers in conducting investigations and prosecuting suspects.

The equipment was handed over to the Somali Police Force Commissioner, Maj General Mohamed Sheikh Hassan Hamud, by AMISOM Deputy Police Commissioner Alalo.

The Somali police boss thanked AMISOM for its continued support to the SPF, saying the equipment will be put in good use to improve security in the city.



Somali Police get Renovated Police Station 

A day earlier, AMISOM police handed over a newly renovated police station in Mahas to help improve the institutional capacity of the Somali Police  and enhance the rule of law in Hiiraan region.

The renovation of the station is part of AMISOM’s agenda to equip the SPF with the necessary infrastructure needed to enable it perform its duties efficiently.

The facility, complete with furniture, was handed over to the Hiiraan Police Commissioner, Col. Issaq Ali Abdulle.

“What we are doing here today is part of the stabilization program. When an area is recovered stabilization process begins and one of the programs undertaken is bringing police on the ground to ensure there is rule of law in the area,” Deputy Police Commissioner Alalo noted.





The handover ceremony was attended by the Hiiraan District Commissioner, Mohamed Macow Halne, and the AMISOM Sector Four Commander of the Ethiopian Defence Forces Col. Tsegay Teklay.

As part of the program, 10 police officers from Mogadishu were also deployed to the station to help in the stabilization process.

“Today we are handing over this police station that has been renovated by AMISOM Police. It was a dilapidated police station but it has been renovated to make it a suitable workplace for the officers,” Deputy Police Commissioner Alalo added.

Speaking at the same function, the Hiiraan Police Commissioner, Col. Issaq Ali Abdulle, expressed his optimism in the stabilization process, describing the handover of the facility as a good start in securing Somalia.

“The police officers I brought here today are only 10. It is a small number but we will increase the number. We will also bring transport and other equipment. We also hope to improve on the building. Everything has a start and I hope that the police officers will withstand the challenges and discharge their duties,” Col. Issaq Ali Abdulle said.

Deputy Police Commissioner Alalo said the police officers deployed at the station are expected to roll out community policing and recruit volunteers.

“They need not to just sit here but get out to the community and work closely with them because that is where crime is and the criminals live with the people know who is a criminal and who is not,” Christine Alalo said.

The police station in Mahas is part of a number of renovated or newly constructed police stations handed over recently to the SPF by AMISOM.





Who is Alalo?

Alalo was appointed Deputy Police Commissioner on 9th June 2015, taking over from Mr. Benson Oyo-Nyeko who completed his tour of duty as the Deputy Police Commissioner in February 2015.

Before joining AMISOM she worked with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) as a Police Advisor in Juba Sector for 2 years, from 2007-2009.

Previously, she headed the Department of Child & Family Protection Unit, which is responsible for handling cases of child abuse and Gender Based Violence (GBV), in the Uganda Police Force.

She hopes to share with the Mission her vast experience in policing spanning 15 years, but also learn more from the mission-considering its peculiarities. She will focus on reforms, restructuring and capacity building for the Somali Police Force.


Life is slowly returning to normal in Somalia



AMISOM's role

The African Union Mission in Somalia is an active regional peace support mission set up by the Peace and Security Council of the African Union with the full support of the United Nation.

AMISOM, as a multidimensional Peace Support Operation, is mandated to take all necessary measures, as appropriate, and in coordination with the Somalia National Defence and Public Safety Institutions, to reduce the threat posed by Al Shabaab and other armed opposition groups,

They also aim to assist in consolidating and expanding the control of the Somalia government over its national territory and establish conditions for effective and legitimate governance across the country.

AMISOM staff comes from a wide range of nations across Africa. The Force Headquarters of the military component, for example, is staffed by officers from Burundi, Cameroon, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia. The bulk of its troops though come from six countries: Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone.

**SOURCE: Story adapted from Amisom wesbite and @amisomsomalia 


LIVE FEED FROM SOMALIA