ECHO TV Uganda

19/03/2023

Hannah Karema Tumukunde from Nakaseke is crowned Miss Uganda 2023-2024.

03/03/2023

UACE 2022 Results: Females Thrash Males Again

Female candidates have once again excelled their male counterparts in Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) examinations according to the 2022 results released this Friday morning.

The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) announced that while the number of female candidates who sat the exams dropped, their overall performance was much better than that of the males.

While releasing the results in Kampala, Dan Odongo, the UNEB Secretary revealed that female candidates had outperformed their male colleagues in terms of those who got three principle passes, and those who managed two principle passes.

“The females who got three principal passes are 48.6% compared to 40.1% for the males,” he said.

“At two principle passes level and above, the females were 75.1% compared to 67.0% of the males. Although the female candidature is a little lower, the proportions of those who passed is better compared to the boys.”

In terms of individual subjects, Odongo says the female candidates beat the males at principle levels A to E in humanities, mathematics and physics

The males however, edged the females in Agriculture, Biology, Art and General Paper.

A total of 97890 candidates registered for last year’s UACE exams, a drop from 98392 in 2020.

Of those who registered, 40713 or 41.8% were females. This is much lower than the UCE (S.4) female candidature of last year which was 49.7%.

In overall performance, 43.5% of the candidates managed three principle passes compared to 42.5% in 2020

Those with two principle passes and above (which is the minimum university entry requirement) was 70.3%, compared to 69.8 in 2020.

The failure rate however, remained the same at 0.8% for the two years.

According to UNEB Chairwoman Mary Okwakol, the board was pleased with improved performance for candidates in the subjects of history, economics, entrepreneurship, geography and art.

Mathematics and Chemistry also recorded slight improvement.

The candidates however, performed poorly in Biology.

“Candidates showed problems in the areas of genetics, ecology and application of biological concepts to environment, classification and inability to handle simple math computations in biology.”

Mrs Okwakol also revealed that UNEB in partnership with Makerere University had conducted and completed a study on the decline in the number girls at UACE levels, whose results will be disseminated soon.

24/01/2023

24/01/2023

The death of the world's oldest person at the age of 118 has reignited a debate that has divided scientists for centuries: is there a limit on how long a healthy human can live?

17/01/2023

TIPS FOR STAYING POSITIVE

1. STOP THE NEGATIVE SELF-TALK. For many of us, there’s no harsher critic than our own brains. Instead of giving ourselves well-deserved compliments, we beat ourselves up internally, which drags our self-confidence and positive energy down. “We devalue who we really are,”
If you find yourself blaming yourself for everything, personalizing things and catastrophizing that any bad thing is likely to happen, take yourself out of that headspace as soon as you recognize it. .

2. BELIEVE IN THE MAGIC OF MUSIC. Call it the power of positive thinking: listening to happy songs improves your outlook, so long as you believe it will. participants who listened to cheery music with positive intentions noticed an improvement in their moods. The group that wasn’t told to think of the music as a happiness booster didn’t feel the same way. Not sure what tunes to crank to cultivate a brighter outlook? “Choosing music that is uplifting to you can really help with that,” Put in a set of earbuds at the office to help you stay positive during your workday too.

3. VOLUNTEER FOR A MEANINGFUL CAUSE. There are many good-vibe benefits of volunteering, from reducing feelings of loneliness to giving you a sense of purpose, all of which can give you a brighter vantage point in life. But to get the most positivity from helping others, your intentions need to come from the right place.

4. HIT THE COUCH. Naps are often considered a guilty pleasure rather than the mood-maintenance tool they can be. Rest is the tonic that our minds need to help us refocus and rebalance. (Does anyone have a positive mental attitude when they’re feeling exhausted? Nope.) “Sleep is self-care,” says Lawrence. “If you’re using naps for that, they’re perfect.”

5. HANG OUT WITH OPTIMISTIC PEOPLE
Inspirational books and quotes can help, but what really makes a difference is spending more time with people who have good outlooks on life, staying around positive people will help make you more positive over time. So the next time you’re looking to hang out with someone, reach out to a pal who always puts a smile on your face.

6. STAY HYDRATED. Staying properly hydrated isn’t just important for your physical health—it lubricates your brain too.
so aim to quench your thirst on a frequent and regular basis. According to the Mayo Clinic, men should aim for about 15.5 cups a day (3.7 liters), and women should consume 11.5 cups (2.7 liters).

13/01/2023

It's been a long time

25/09/2022

Aim higher 💪

20/09/2022

Uganda & Israel Gov'ts signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Defence Cooperation.
The agreement renews & strengthens the existing historical relationship between the 2 countries on matters concerning defence, security, & welfare, among others.

15/08/2022

08/11/2021

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Work harder than you think you did yesterday.

08/11/2021

PRAYER: May the Grace of the Lord be with us all throughout this day in Jesus' name I've prayed. Amen

04/11/2021

ECHO UPDATES: Police arrest man for defiling his 14-year-old daughter.

04/11/2021

ECHO UPDATES: 3rd Privacy Symposium Africa underway

The 3rd Privacy Symposium Africa got underway today November 3, attracting several speakers from different fields in research, ICT experts, lawyers to discuss data privacy on the continent.

The 3-day hybrid virtual and physical event is running under the theme “Data Protection: A new Dawn in Africa” and is organised by Unwanted Witness, ministry of ICT and National Guidance together with the Personal Data Protection office.

Speaking at the tripartite press conference held at ICT House in Kampala, Dorothy Mukasa the executive director of Unwanted Witness Uganda says the symposium is very timely as about 24 African countries including Uganda have enacted data protection laws.

She said that the presence of such laws is a testament to progressive development especially under the Covid-19 pandemic where people’s data has been accessed by different service providers in health, transport among others.

04/11/2021

ECHO UPDATES: The Judiciary has said they are stuck with more than Shs26b bail refund money, which has not been picked by court users who have gone through the criminal justice system.

04/11/2021

ECHO UPDATES: Fuel prices: Govt tells Ugandans to tighten belts

Government has advised Ugandans to tighten their belts because it will not intervene to lower the rising fuel prices. The pump prices for petrol rose to Shs 4,250 Wednesday from the previous Shs 4,190 per litre range.

Generally, the prices have been on the increase right from April this year, causing an outcry among the motorists. Ruth Nankbirwa, Energy and Minerals minister says government cannot regulate the fuel pump price because the market was liberalized a long time ago.

The increase in prices of diesel and petrol in Uganda is attributed to the global rise in crude oil. The global oil prices had climbed above $80 a barrel by late September. Some analysts believe that oil prices will continue to rise amid surging demand and tight supplies.

The commissioner in charge of petroleum supply and distribution, Rev Frank Justave Tukwasibwe said that the rise in fuel prices is not unique to Uganda.

“It is global, not that it is unique to Uganda," he explained, "but it has affected us so badly compared to others. That is why we are saying that our regulation is to ensure adequate supply in a free and competitive environment.”

According to Tukwasibwe, if other factors were constant, the fuel in Uganda would not be costly. He revealed that Uganda foots about $100 to transport 1,000 litres of fuel from the Port of Mombasa and $120 per 1,000 litres through Dare-salaam.

“For a Ugandan citizen to appreciate the price in Uganda, if all other factors were constant, to transport from the coast at Mombasa to Uganda, you add Shs 355 per liter," he said. "To transport from Dar which is a little bit longer, you add Shs 430.”

According to Tukwasibwe, Ugandans should remain confident that the government will ensure that stocks don't run out to lead to a crisis. He says all the government can do is to fight the smuggling of fuel from other countries and to fight adulteration of the fuel because of the high demand for petrol and diesel.

Global comparisons indicate that the price of gasoline in Uganda is relative to other countries. According to global petrol prices website, the average price of gasoline in the world by Wednesday was at Shs 4,406.92. In Tanzania, the price is Shs 3765 per litre, Shs 4,205 in Kenya, Rwanda Shs 4,064, Burundi Shs 4,277, Shs 3,522 in DR Congo.

Motorists in Venezuela enjoy the lowest fuel prices at less than a shilling per litre while those in Iran pay a mere Shs 213 per litre, motorists pay Shs 820 in Syria, Shs 952 in Angola, Shs 1,189 in Algeria, Shs 1,428 in Nigeria, Shs 1,620 in Ethiopia, Shs 2,090 in Egypt.

04/11/2021

ECHO UPDATES: Old logbooks to be phased out. Minstry of works and transport takes over mandate to register and licence vehicles from URA.

04/11/2021

ECHO UPDATES: China finally agrees to invest in Uganda's oil.

China National Offshore Oil Corporation Ltd (CNOOC) has finally closed the long-awaited Final Investment Decision (FID) for the development of Uganda’s oil and gas projects in the Albertine region.

Energy and Mineral Development minister Ruth Nankabirwa says that the CNOOC confirmed that they have authorized an FID in Uganda.

"Final Investment Decision - FID, I was with the chairman CNOOC yesterday [Tuesday] in the meeting, they have delivered a letter in writing; the problem has been sorted out. They have signed the agreements which they had appended just initials upon my letter to their chairman. So the issue you raise has been sorted out. It was a concern of Total, it was a concern of us as government but it has been sorted out. CNOOC has taken a final investment decision," said Nankabirwa.

The decision by CNOOC to unlock billions of dollars of investment in Uganda’s oil and gas sector now gives a green light to the proposed construction of a $3.5 billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) and other infrastructure in the Albertine region. CNOOC operates the Kingfisher project which expects to produce the country's first oil.

Ali Ssekatawa, director legal and corporate affairs at Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) described CNOOC’s decision as a significant milestone for the people of Uganda and China.

“This project has two anchor companies which are taking it forward, one is TotalEnergies from France, and the other one is CNOOC from China," he explained.

"Total in France made its FID early this year when their president came and met our president. CNOOC indicated that they needed approval from the highest bodies in China. Today [Wednesday], our minister has confirmed that she received confirmation that they have sanctioned this project,” he said.

The sanctioning of the project, according to Ssekatawa, means that they have allowed the Kingfisher project to go ahead. With the FID, CNOOC can proceed with drilling to develop Kingfisher’s Mputa, Nzizi and Waraga fields. CNOOC hopes to produce about 40,000 barrels of oil per day during peak production.

The FID also paves way for the construction of production facilities including the central processing facility, infield and feeder pipelines. According to Ssekatawa, CNOOC’s FID is also expected to increase the momentum for the East African Crude Oil pipeline. There are four shareholders in the EACOP with TotalEnergies Ltd as a major shareholder with 62 per cent.

TotalEnergies took an FID in April this year with the signing of several agreements in Uganda and Tanzania. The other shareholders include the Government of Uganda through Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) with 15 per cent, the Government of Tanzania with 15 per cent through TPDC and CNOOC with 8 per cent shareholding.

"From a Ugandan perspective, the project has taken another corner, if it is a marathon, we have now turned the last corner and we're chasing the last mile because now we can see Tanga in sight. Tanga is where we're going to be having the first oil. So it means that these companies have confirmed funding and the project is going to move even faster. Lastly, the last mile that remains is we have all agreed that the project requires some amendment in our law in Uganda and Tanzania for it to be enabled," said Ssekatawa.

Uganda’s crude oil from the Kingfisher and Tilenga projects will be transported through a 1,443-kilometer 897-mile heated pipeline for export through the port of Tanga in Tanzania.

Efforts to interview CNOOC Uganda’s vice president, Cui Yujun were futile because he could not be reached on phone. Yujun has in the past indicated that CNOOC will deliver the Kingfisher project at the same time with Total's Tilenga project. Total, in April announced a 43-month journey aimed at having Uganda's first oil out of the ground by 2025.

Meanwhile, Nankabirwa says the government is determined to ensure that parliament considers and passes all the laws needed to steer the oil and gas sector forward. Among the pending laws are the East African Crude Oil Bill 2021 Bill, the Income Tax Amendment Bill 2021 and amendments to the Public Finance Amendment Bill 2021

04/11/2021

ECHO UPDATES: Bukwo hospital administrator arrested over embezzling mortuary funds
Police in Bukwo district, eastern Uganda have arrested the acting hospital administrator, David Sorowon for alleged corruption and mismanaging of money meant for the construction of a mortuary.

Sorowon was arrested last week on the orders of Bukwo resident district commissioner (RDC) Samuel Hashaka Mpimbaza.

This was after Sorowon failed to explain to the district Covid-19 task force why the mortuary is still incomplete and yet the government allocated Shs 450 million for the project.

The task force later discovered that the hospital administrator together with his brother under their company Bakasuku Ltd constructed the mortuary themselves and have failed to complete it.

Hashaka said it was unfortunate that patients at Bukwo district hospital were sharing beds with dead bodies due to lack of a mortuary and yet government sent money for the construction of the mortuary.

04/11/2021

ECHO UPDATES: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admitted he hated having to substitute Sadio Mane at half-time of their 2-0 Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid but he feared the visitors’ gamesmanship would get the player sent off.

Early goals from Diogo Jota and Mane were soon followed by a red card for Atleti defender Felipe and from that point the visitors tried every trick in the book to restore numerical parity.

Mane had been targeted by the opposition from the off, much like in their last-16 meeting in Madrid in February 2020, and like on that occasion Klopp took the decision to minimise the risk by replacing the Senegal international at half-time.

It was harsh on Mane, who looked up for the fight, and it ultimately backfired as his replacement Roberto Firmino lasted 33 minutes before departing with a hamstring problem as Klopp’s injury list continues to grow.

04/11/2021

ECHO UPDATES: Death toll from Nigeria building collapse rises to 22

The death toll from Monday's building collapse in Lagos, Nigeria has risen to 22 as rescuers continue digging through the rubble in a search for survivors.

Experts say the collapse was likely the result of poor construction and weak oversight, and are worried that such catastrophes could happen again. The search for survivors continued Wednesday at the site of the building collapse in Ikoyi, an upper-class area of Lagos state.

So far, nine survivors have been pulled out of the rubble and taken to hospitals. Scores more are reported missing. Search teams have found 22 bodies. On Tuesday, Lagos state governor Babajide Sanwolu visited the site and later suspended the state's building control head. Lagos state also launched an independent investigation into the collapse.

But Festus Adebayo, founder of the Housing Development Advocacy Network, who visited the site, said authorities have been careless.

"We are careless, we're just careless. We have recommended, the building code is there and we have said 21 years jail term, but nobody has been jailed it has all been media hype, noise, noise, noise," said Adebayo.

Lagos authorities halted the construction of the building in June for not meeting standard structural requirements. The local president of the Nigerian Institute of Architects, David Majekodunmi, said the institute doesn't know if the problem was fixed before the workers were asked to return to the site.

"You seal up a site, definitely there are processes that you need to do before the site can be opened. We can't tell now whether the process went through," he said.

Lagos authorities say they are assessing the possible impact of the collapse on nearby structures. Building collapses, unfortunately, are not uncommon in Lagos state, which has a population of 21 million people and thousands of high-rise structures.

Adebayo said these catastrophes are not good for investment or business.

"How do you think the whole world will see us? What's the impression they'll be having about our professionals? You'll discover that a lot of people will not be going for high rise buildings," said Adebayo.

On Tuesday, rescuers received several phone calls from people trapped under the debris. No new calls came on Wednesday, and experts say that as the days go by, the chances of survival for trapped victims are getting slimmer.

04/11/2021

ECHO UPDATES: Muslims in Uganda call for Islam-friendly laws

Muslim leaders in Uganda urged lawmakers Wednesday to establish laws that conform with Islamic principles.

The call was made by the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council's leadership while meeting with lawmakers on the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee to present their views on the 2021 succession amendment bill.

“The bill under scrutiny does not respect the laws of succession in the holy book, the Quran, which are followed by Muslims,” said Uganda's second Deputy M***i Sheikh Mohamed Ali Waiswa.

Waiswa said Muslims in Uganda have been all along following the laws of succession in the Quran and the holy teachings of Prophet Muhammad.

“Muslims have been having no problems with sharing the property of the deceased because they have been following the Quranic laws concerning succession,’’ he noted.

Waiswa said they are pushing for the enactment of the Administration of Muslim Personal Law Bill, which will cater for the establishment of Qadhis courts that cater for Muslim marriages, divorce, inheritance and guardianship. He said the committee should push for the establishment of Sharia courts in Uganda as is the case in neighboring countries like Kenya so that all Muslims who become embroiled in misunderstandings can go to those courts to settle them instead of the circuit courts.

04/11/2021

KCCA councillors insist on Old Taxi Park reopening

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) councillors are demanding the immediate reopening of the Old Taxi Park in downtown Kampala.

Renovation of the park started in May 2020 and was planned to be completed in just three months. However, the renovations took longer than expected as a result of heavy rains, and COVID-19 lockdown restrictions which delayed the planned reopening of the park.

So far, the authority has completed works on the carpet, drainage system and stairs. On Tuesday, a special council meeting was convened to review the status of taxi operations in Kampala and the management of Kampala city markets. The meeting follows concerns from the councillors about the delayed reopening of the park.

In September, the council resolved that the park be reopened on October 20. However, Hakim Kizza, KCCA executive secretary for works and physical planning, said that on the eve of the reopening that four of the people who have leases of the plots within the park had secured an interim order restraining KCCA from opening the park.

KCCA leased out plots of land around the Old Taxi Park to about 13 entities including Abamwe Transporters, Kabaale distributors, Key and Ham investments among others. They entered into an understanding with KCCA in 2020, to develop the land together in the grand masterplan of a storied taxi park which plan is yet to be completed.

Hakim says the individuals own 2.13 hectares of the land and KCCA owns 0.494 hectares of the land where the park is located.

04/11/2021

ECHO UPDATES: MultiChoice launches new family bouquet

MultiChoice Uganda has introduced GOtv Supa, a new bouquet for its family subscribers seeking to bond over entertainment and TV time.

The Shs 55,000 GOtv Supa bouquet which was launched last Friday, has a wide variety of channels such as Honey TV, Africa Magic Urban​, Pearl Magic Prime, Akwaaba Magic, WWE, TL Novelas, Novela Magic​, Mambo Moto, ROK, Kix, Food Network, Nick JNR, Nick Toons​ and Boomerang among others.

“December is around the corner and we all know what that means. At MultiChoice Uganda, we value family time and at the same acknowledge the fact that each Ugandan uses the festive season to catch up with the different shows they missed watching,” said Joan Semanda Kizza the PR and communications manager MultiChoice Uganda.

03/11/2021

ECHO UPDATES: HIV rising among pregnant teenagers.

03/11/2021

ECHO UPDATES: Ethiopian authorities ask citizens with guns to get ready to defend themselves

Ethiopian officials Tuesday ordered residents in Addis Ababa to register their fi****ms and prepare to protect their neighbourhoods, as fighting raged north of the capital between government and rebel forces.

03/11/2021

ECHO UPDATES: Lady Gaga spent year-and-a-half in character as Patrizia Reggiani preparing for House Of Gucci film

Lady Gaga, who is starring in the upcoming House of Gucci drama, said she spent a year-and-a-half in character for the film and spoke with an Italian accent for nine months.

The actress and singer plays Patrizia Reggiani (formerly Gucci) in Sir Ridley Scott’s crime drama, a socialite who had her fashion dynasty heir husband Maurizio Gucci murdered in a case that scandalised Italy.

According to prosecutors, Reggiani motive was a mixture of jealousy, money, and resentment towards her ex-husband.

It is Gaga’s first film role since her Oscar-nominated turn in 2018’s A Star Is Born and trailers have featured her speaking with an accent.

03/11/2021

May the good Lord bless and guide throughout this day, we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

03/11/2021

ECHO UPDATES: Ronaldo saves Manchester United again as Bayern and Juventus reach Champions League knockouts

02/11/2021

ECHO UPDATES: Health experts are puzzled by the sharp reduction in Covid-19 infections and deaths. As of yesterday Monday, only nine patients with critical Covid-19 were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Mulago National Referral hospital.

02/11/2021

Premier League: Wolves pile on misery for spluttering Everton
With four wins in that impressive streak, Wolves have climbed to seventh, while Everton dropped down in 10th.