Masaka – Prime Time Communications

Out to Lunch

#OutToLunch: High temperatures and what districts could learn from Buganda

By Denis Jjuuko Kampala used to be known as the city of seven hills but that was long ago. As the city expanded, so were the hills. If you get a chance to stand at the top of some of these hills, you will see many more hills in now what is considered the greater Kampala metropolitan area. Many people are increasingly settling onto these hills. It can be spectacular and probably a future source of tourism revenue for enterprising business people. All they need is a good high-rise structure on which telescopes could be mounted for people to see what Kampala has got to offer. The problem though is that some of these hills may end up embarrassing us. Take the example of a hill that you face when driving from Masaka to Kampala. Around Maya, you will face the Nsangi hill, full of houses that explain our lack of proper planning. One house faces this side, another faces the other side. One is multi-floors and another is the size of a poor man’s single room hut. But they all have one thing in common— a lack of trees. At least the original seven hills that formed Kampala have lots of trees. The ‘new’ ones? Something needs to be done. They were all originally well treed. Then land entrepreneurs showed up with graders. Cut down the trees and subdivided the hills into plots measuring 50×100 feet in size or less. They heavily advertised them as “organised” housing estates. Kampala’s middle class rushed to acquire them and started competing on who puts up the ugliest structure. Some built houses almost the size of the entire plot leaving absolutely no space to plant a tree or even some grass. The hills have ended up of what one once called a concrete jungle! Outside Kampala, forests were cut down for timber and charcoal and we didn’t think much of replacing the trees. Certainly, we had never heard of sustainable logging. Deplete everything and blame some faceless mafia. The trick works on the masses. That perhaps explains the high temperatures we are experiencing in Kampala and across the country today. If you drive through the countryside where the significant majority of the population depends on rainfed agriculture, a hunger crisis looms even though this is expected to be the dry season. Although harsh weather events or even changes in the climate that affect Ugandans can’t be entirely blamable on Ugandans, there is much that we can do ourselves. One of the easiest things to do is planting trees, many of which wouldn’t require much effort to grow. Perhaps the tree should be one that offers benefits to people regularly such as fruit trees from which income could be derived. The people at the helm of Buganda Kingdom understood this and initiated a tree planting plan at every betrothment (kwanjula) and last funeral rites ceremonies and this could further be escalated by the district local governments. At least in urban areas, everyone who builds a house is supposed to have an approved architectural plan. Urban planners should ensure that each plan presented for approval has trees as part of it. And before occupation permits are issued, there must be trees already planted. When urban authorities visit rental properties to determine and/or collect property service tax, they should check whether the trees exist and if not, a penalty could be administered. The Uganda Revenue Authority could do the same when collecting rental income tax. Where commercial building in the city can’t have trees, they can commit to maintaining trees on the streets on which they are located or a nearby public park. Failure to do so, they would receive a penalty. Real estate dealers who subdivide land into the so-called organised housing estates would be required to plant trees along the main roads within that estate as part of their license and this could be done well before the land is sold. No trees planted; no land titles issued. The land registry would have to work with the district local governments on this. Those who buy the land would be required not to temper with the trees. They can only maintain them. Enforceable penalties for those who fail to adhere to this. Of course, for this to work, the districts and urban authorities would have to be intentional with supervision to ensure compliance. It should not be too difficult to enforce. The writer is a communication and visibility consultant. djjuuko@gmail.com

March 27, 2025

Digitalization

UCC’s digital skills training unlocks content creation opportunities

By Adam Walusimbi In today’s digital age, many young people aspire to earn a living through content creation. However, procrastination often hinders their dreams, as they wait for the perfect equipment, timing, or financial resources to begin. At a recent one-week digital skills training program in Asuret Sub-County, Soroti District, Moses Kiboneka, widely known as Uncle Mo, an award-winning digital content creator, encouraged the youths to take immediate action. He shared valuable insights, emphasizing that the best time to start is now, rather than postponing their ambitions. Speaking to the attendees, Uncle Mo highlighted his own journey. As a mechanic, he found himself out of work during the 2021 COVID-19 lockdown when car repairs shrunk. This unfortunate circumstance led him to create a “newsletter-commentary show” from his garage, launching his popular YouTube channel, “I Am Uncle Mo.” “I began with the most basic equipment—a borrowed phone and a friend as my camera operator,” he explained. “If I had waited for better resources, my channel might never have existed. You must start now!” Today, Uncle Mo’s channel boasts over 85,600 subscribers and 6.3 million views, allowing him to generate income from YouTube ads and collaborate with major brands. One participant, George William Eumu, described the training as “eye-opening.” Previously, he viewed his smartphone as a tool for basic tasks. “Now I know I can use my phone to do graphics design and video content creation,” he shared. Winnie Byanyima (no known relations with the Executive Director of UNAIDS) expressed her enthusiasm as well. She highlighted how the training boosted her aspiration to become a content creator. “The facilitators encouraged us to ask questions and demonstrated how the apps are used, making it very educational,” Byanyima noted. Interacting with Uncle Mo also added significant value to the training, motivating her further. Tom Vincent Olobo, the Senior Assistant Chief Administrative Officer for Asuret Sub-County, conveyed gratitude to the Ugandan government for selecting Soroti for this training initiative. He encouraged the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) and Prime Time Communications to expand the program throughout the district. “Seeing over 100 youths participate in the ICT and multimedia skilling program brings me joy,” said Olobo. “I believe these young people can apply their skills to alleviate poverty and also teach their peers. I urge the UCC and government to extend this valuable training to other areas of Soroti.” The Soroti District training marked the conclusion of a larger digital skills program implemented by Prime Time Communications, which began in early 2024 and spanned 10 districts, including Masaka, Bukomansimbi, Lwengo, Sembabule, Kalungu, Mayuge, Bugiri, Pallisa, and Busia. More than 1,000 youths have participated in this digital skilling program. Initiated by the UCC under the Uganda Communications Universal Service and Access Fund (UCUSAF), this initiative aims to equip youths with essential digital skills, such as multimedia applications, social media marketing, and content creation, enabling them to create sustainable jobs in the digital economy. Denis Jjuuko, Team Leader at Prime Time Communications, attested to the positive impact of the program. “We have observed enthusiastic participation across all districts, and the trainees have produced impressive, professional-quality videos, graphics, and multimedia content despite having limited resources,” he said. “With continued training and tech-focused funding, Uganda’s youths have the potential to transform the nation.”Eng. Susan Nakanwagi, the UCUSAF technical manager, confirmed that the digital skilling program, now in its third year, will expand to more underserved districts in the 2025/2026 financial year due to its significant impact on the youths.

February 27, 2025

Out to Lunch

#OutToLunch: Resilient coffee farmers will make money regardless of UCDA fate

By Denis Jjuuko Whether on coffee tables, bar tables, parliamentary tables, or presidential tables, the talk has been about coffee following the contentious coffee bill that seeks to amend the National Coffee Act 2021. The main tenet in the bill is the proposed dissolution of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA). Depending on who you listen to, UCDA is either angelic, demonic or a combination of both. Maybe the debate wouldn’t even have reached its current crescendo had the Speaker of Parliament not caught on a live mic urging her colleagues to do something about the Baganda. Whatever, she meant, the Baganda seemed to be the target. You see, 50% of the coffee grown in Uganda is from Buganda, a source of livelihoods for almost every household in the region. Many kids in Buganda go to school because of the incomes derived from coffee by their parents and guardians. Coffee and of recent, enjoys a demigod status among the people of Buganda. It hasn’t been like that though for the last few years. Many people in Buganda had given up on growing coffee until about 2016 when the kingdom started its famous Emmwanyi Terimba (coffee is profitable) campaign reminding people of the good old days of Mmwanyi Zabaala (another variant of coffee is profitable). Mmwanyi Zabaala was usually a reference to the powerful Bantam motorcycles that people in areas like Masaka massively bought as a result of profits from coffee especially in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Farming is usually not for the fainthearted and prices can significantly fluctuate especially for a product that is largely exported. Prices are many times determined on global markets. Weather changes in Brazil, Colombia or Vietnam, for example, can have a significant impact on Uganda’s coffee. And domestic demands in those larger producer markets can also have impact. Speculators on the futures markets in the global financial capitals can also have an impact. But also, people can simply give up on something by losing hope. Leadership is usually required to restore hope, reminding people that those who “lose a loved one, don’t sleep by the graveside.” Once people are inspired to realize that not every light at the end of the tunnel is of an oncoming train, they could easily wake up and do something for themselves. That is what happened in Buganda circa 2016. With inspiration from the leadership in Buganda, people in the region started growing coffee again. Seeing the uptake in the crop, UCDA sought for a partnership to work together. The end result had been increased exports and increased incomes for the people in the region and indeed elsewhere. A coffee tree lasts about 45 years. So those who had abandoned their trees didn’t all have to plant new ones. Many just did stumping, allowing the coffee to sprout and flourish again. Others planted new ones. Within 2-4 years, they were making money again. I remember a trip to Bukomansimbi about four years ago where I met a man who had been a boda boda rider in Kampala and had decided to return to the village. He had revived his coffee garden and had managed to build himself a decent house and rentals somewhere in Kyengera, just outside Kampala. He regrated the years he had spent in Kampala riding a boda boda and before it, working as a taxi conductor. That was well before the average coffee prices of around Shs13,000 per a kilo of fair average quality. With the prices being offered today, there is real income in the pockets of ordinary Ugandans. And not just ordinary Ugandans, the country’s is benefiting as well as income from coffee exports are topping USD210m per a month. Regardless of what the government of Uganda does, coffee will remain a highly demanded crop across the world. The biggest consumers of coffee in the world don’t grow it and they are not about to give it up. They will continue to demand for it. The traders and the entire value chain is not about to give up coffee. Since the demand is assured, those who are growing coffee should not return to the previous years of feeling pity for themselves. They should instead increase the acreage those who can, look after their coffee trees well and do whatever is necessary to increase production of quality beans. Those that won’t give up, regardless of the prices or scrapping of UCDA would still be better than a farmer that don’t have anything to sell. The writer is a communication and visibility consultant. djjuuko@gmail.com

November 7, 2024

Out to Lunch

#OutToLunch: Karuma bridge should be rebuilt with tourism in mind

#OutToLunch: Karuma bridge should be rebuilt with tourism in mind By Denis Jjuuko As you read this, the main bridge to northern Uganda has been closed to pave way for repairs. The authority responsible says that they need three months of zero disturbances from vehicular traffic. For some time, the bridge has only been accessible by small vehicles with trucks and buses diverted to other routes. Originally constructed in 1963, the Karuma bridge has since outlived its purpose. It is too narrow for today’s traffic to the region and neighboring South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Access to the bridge is through winding corners, which could explain why some vehicles have in the past plunged into the river killing many people. The long-term plan for Karuma should be a replacement bridge like what happened in Jinja over the same River Nile. However, Karuma should be different. Recently, King Mswati III of Eswatini was in the country and stopped by the Jinja Nile bridge to take in the beauty of the majestic river and some photos. The bridge design doesn’t seem to have been fully planned for tourism. There was supposed to be a small restaurant on the bridge, a very small car parking area and what looks like a pathway people could stand. Nothing really much. The restaurant has never been opened and hardly anyone stops to take in photos or view the imposing Nile. Like Karuma, the meanest soldiers are usually seen patrolling the bridges. Photography is not even easily permitted. I don’t know if this is to protect them from terrorists but any serious terrorist doesn’t need some photo taken on a smartphone to blow up a bridge. The Jinja bridge is a landmark structure that could have brought in a lot of money if we had not, as usual, missed the chance. Some thinking was needed to turn it into a tourist attraction and not just as a bridge that eases traffic. In many global cities that attract thousands of tourists, such bridges are planned with an eye on tourism. High-altitude walking ways that provide sightseeing are common. Towers with telescopes from which people could view the Nile snaking into Kayunga and beyond would have created magic. Right now, all we offer for anyone who wants to explore the Nile in Jinja is largely a canoe that takes you to the point that is marked the Source of the River Nile. There is no proper marina, accessing the canoes is through a jungle of wooden dilapidated curio shops that make the entire place look like a slum. I don’t know how many tourists want to experience that. Imagine ziplining on the Nile in Jinja for those who love adventure or sightseeing through a cable car. People would be lining up from all over the world to experience this. A proper restaurant that enables you to experience the Nile. I believe many young people would be proposing marriage here. Karuma is even more beautiful than Jinja and could offer more. Imagine walking over a glass bridge that gives you a 360-degree view of the water falls? Imagine a sightseeing elevator that enables you to see River Nile cutting through the thick vegetation of the Murchison Falls National Park? And maybe even catch a few animals in the distance. The Karuma 600MW power dam would even add more attractions to this area and most importantly the electricity required to power cable cars and sightseeing towers and elevators. We know that we now generate more electricity than we consume. It is stuff like these that will enable us consume that electricity while creating millions of sustainable jobs. We are struggling to build another bridge at Katonga on the highway to Masaka, Tanzania, Rwanda and DRC. The NRM claims to have fond memories of Katonga given the battle that eventually led them to capture power in 1986. They went around at one stage and installed an ugly billboard that featured the late Muamar Gaddafi of Libya. Tired of its ugliness and lack of imagination, the termites ate it away! Then the Katonga bridge collapsed. It has been a few years of a temporary bridge since. What about building an iconic bridge with a museum that tells that Katonga battle? Add in the legends of River Katonga from the Baganda who have lived there for hundreds of years and you have a sellable product to international tourists. The guys at the Uganda National Roads Authority and other ministries and agencies particularly responsible for tourism need to work together to see how they can make bridges attract tourists. Money should not be a problem. They can ask Bank of Uganda to issue a bridge bond. It would be oversubscribed. The writer is a communication and visibility consultant. djjuuko@gmail.com

October 21, 2024

Out to Lunch

#OutToLunch: Coffee export good but protect farmers by consuming some of it locally

By Denis Jjuuko For a few years, coffee prices have been rising greatly crossing the Shs13,000 per kilo mark for the fair average quality or what is known as kase thereby turning many farmers into millionaires. Some of them instantly. The price of Robusta over the last few months has been almost the same as Arabica that usually grows on higher altitudes. Driving through some villages in Masaka recently, you hardly found a courtyard where coffee was not being dried. And almost everyone dried the coffee on tarpaulins instead of the bare ground of yonder. This obviously means a better-quality product and the fact that people are adhering to the messages being given to them. Farmers are also planting improved varieties and applying better farming methods all of which are leading to an improved end product that is demanded across the world. In the just concluded financial year, Uganda exported 6.13 million bags (60kg each) of coffee earning an unprecedented USD1.144 billion, an increment of 6.33% in volume and 35.29% in revenue compared to the previous year. The higher prices have been attributed to improved quality and quantity but also demand in the destination markets where coffee is consumed. Although there might be other reasons such increased local consumption in larger exporting countries like Brazil and weather fluctuations in Vietnam, and a changing environment in Europe starting in January 2025 leading to stock ups. Europe says it will only be buying coffee which is traced to farms that have not been set up after destroying forests. Most Ugandan coffee farmers are small and do so on small pieces of land and therefore no forests have been destroyed, which means the demand for our coffee in European markets should continue. Although farmers are experiencing the highest prices in 30 years, the vulnerabilities still exist and therefore Uganda’s focus should not be entirely on exports that is targeting the 20m bags annually. Local consumption is equally important. In Ethiopia, Africa’s largest coffee producer, 60% of the harvests are consumed at home. The data may be hard to come up with but imagine how many meetings especially in government ministries, departments and agencies take place on a daily basis. They must be hundreds of them. Many of them have some coffee and tea for the people to enjoy. Many officials in government have flasks of coffee and tea beside their office desks and it is not uncommon to find a few government workers enjoying breakfast or a mid-morning snack complete with a hot cup of beverages. Now, imagine if they all were drinking Ugandan coffee! How much money would the government be spending? How much money would the farmers and roasters be earning? Many times, the coffee people drink is imported instant coffees. At workshops in many hotels, imported instant coffees rule the day sometimes serving hundreds of people attending conferences and workshops. Private companies and development partners are not exceptional. In a country that is a major producer of coffee! I don’t know whether the preference of instant coffees is strategic where we prefer to export raw coffee so we can important instant ones or it is one of those things we have not clearly thought about. Should we consume some of the coffee we grow here or we should focus on exporting it only? There is no guarantee that the current prices will remain as high as they are today and if we only focus on exports, farmers at one stage may become delusional and abandon it like they did years ago. To avoid this risk, there must be ways to promote its consumption locally not through fictious campaigns that teach people how to drink coffee but through a well thought out campaign. A campaign that gets implemented. A campaign that is implemented by people that are trusted. In the central region for example, Buganda Kingdom pushed these boundaries earlier through their Mmwanyi Terimba campaign, distributing seedlings and the Katikkiro making endless drives to the expansive kingdom to see whether the people were growing coffee. The results can be seen by even a suckling baby. Government can start with its offices. Procurement officers, administrators and whoever is responsible for purchasing coffee should be aligned to the fact that charity begins at home. That they can’t be singing value addition while importing something as easy to make as coffee. Then private companies and development partners can be encouraged to go locally roasted coffee. Tax incentives could be given. This doesn’t mean that we abandon the 20 million bags target rather we do both. Improved quality and quantity would ensure that we can go ahead and get nearer to the 20 million bags target while a significant chunk is consumed at home. The writer is communication and visibility consultant. djjuuko@gmail.com

August 8, 2024

Education

More than 500 youths trained in multimedia skills to combat unemployment and boost incomes ingreater Masaka

By Adam WalusimbiAt the Kyazanga Town Council headquarters in Lwengo District in greater Masaka, trainees pay attentionto every detail as their trainers explain how to design a graphics card for marketing a product using thefree smartphone app, Canva. From colour selection, font selection, image placement, and integration,the trainees follow along on their smartphones, creating designs unique to their business ideas.One of the trainees is Earnest Kaitare, a senior six leaver who recently took up poultry farming to raisefunds for university tuition fees. Kaitare’s poster design features pictures of a chicken and eggs with textthat reads “20% Eid Discount on all products. Order Today.”Kaitare’s strategy aimed to increase sales during the Eid Al-Adha celebrations that was held on June 16,2024, when Muslims celebrated by sacrificing animals and holding feasts. Once completed, Kaitareintended to share the poster on social media and print and distribute posters and flyers in Kyazanga,which has a large Muslim community.Kaitare is one of the youths from five selected districts in the greater Masaka region who were trainedand as part of the digital skilling program of the Uganda Communications Commission under the UgandaCommunications Universal Service and Access Fund (UCUSAF). The skilling program implemented inpartnership with Prime Time Communications is aimed at enabling youth to create and/or findsustainable jobs.According to Kaitare, the training has been an eye-opener, especially on how the use of free mobileapplications like Adobe Express, Kine Master, Canva, TikTok, among others could help expand hiscustomer base and boost sales online. With the skills acquired from the training, Hadijjah Nanteza will enhance her work as a generalmerchandise salesperson by using short videos and multimedia content. This would allow her to sharevideos and pictures of her products, expanding her customer base beyond Kyazanga and increasing hercommissions, without the need to travel from house to house.In Kalungu District, trainee Winfred Nalusiba described the digital training as ‘eye-opening’ in regards tothe mobile apps she often overlooked on her phone. “We learned how to effectively use Google Meet toconnect with other people. As a caterer and event planner, I can now plan efficiently with clients evenwhen we are not in the same location, using video to show them the various decorations and mealoptions,” said Nalusiba.Bugembe Cyrus Miller, a trainee from Kalungu, who has always used TikTok for socializing, now plans toventure into social media influencing, thanks to the videography and social media skills acquired duringthe training. Speaking to trainees at the Mateete Sub-County Headquarters in Sembabule District, Eng. JamesBeronda, the UCUSAF Director, commended the youths for their enthusiasm in acquiring new skillswhich would enable them to earn extra income using their smartphones. Eng. Beronda emphasized theimportance of using the skills acquired during the training to generate income using their smartphones, instead of using them for non-productive activities. He reaffirmed UCC’s commitment to supportingdigital skills acquisition to boost youth incomes and combat unemployment in Uganda.Eng. Susan Nakanwagi, the UCUSAF Technical Manager said that the digital skilling program, currently inits third year, will be extended to include more underserved districts in the 2025/26 financial year due toits significant impact and success among targeted youth. Eng. Nakanwagi confirmed that many youngpeople in these districts have had smartphones for a long time but lacked the skills and knowledge touse them effectively to improve their livelihoods.

June 27, 2024