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The Ugandan government has sanctioned the phosphate project in the Eastern district of Tororo. Three years after the president of the republic of Uganda commissioned it, the project is due to commence this year. It is based in the sub counties of Osukuru and Rubongi. Guangzhou Dongsong Energy group a Chinese firm is the one charged with the execution of this multi-billion investment.  The firm has already committed $47.6m of the $ 620m and paid in capital. Human resource, machinery and other facilities have been put in place to assist in the commencement of the project. Out of the phosphate extractives, will be fertilisers besides many other products. Osukuru industrial complex will comprise of power plant of about 12 megawatts, a rare earth minerals mining plant, a steel manufacturing factory, sulphuric acid factory, glass making plant and phosphate fertiliser plant.

Like in many areas across Uganda where mining is happening, environment-related hazards will eventually befall Tororo district if the mining and processing are not well managed. Initially, during mining, the land is carved and all the living things on the land eventually will be killed. During mining, the land is disrupted which disturbs the natural sediment hence replaced by mounds of spoil. This disruption affects the hydrogeological characteristics of the area which eventually disrupts the flow of water in the mining area.  We have experienced such in the mining districts here in Uganda especially Kasese. The occurrence of a high rate of weathering of metamorphic rocks leads to eroded downstream during the flooding seasons which ultimately results in the narrowing of river channels. In the recent years, such scenarios have led into river bursts leaving many people dead and thousands displaced. This has on many occasions occurred to river Nyamwamba in Kasese district.

Radioactive materials which are often coupled with the mining and phosphate like radon/ uranium/ radium leave higher radioactive materials on the mine zones.  A study by Florida Institute of Phosphate Research completed in 1986 specified that foodstuffs grown on these mine parks don’t posture risk to human health but an increase in radon gas emissions within any structure built on the mined out land suspects it for human habitation subsequently. During the process of turning phosphates into usable forms, phosphoric acid very acidic water is produced. Such acidic water must be neutralised and well managed before releasing it to the environment. A byproduct called phosphogypsum which is marginally radioactive with limited uses is also produced during the process. Its radioactive nature makes it difficult usable and in some cases, the stacks keep leeching in water bodies which pose danger to water bodies and their inhabitants. In 1986, an 18-month extraction test on Matiava’s rich phosphate resources in the Pacific Ocean polluted and damaged fish habitats reaching a magnitude that people could not eat lagoon fish for ten years.

Tororo is not exempted from such unfolding if the project is not well managed.  The government of Uganda and key stakeholders should find measures to handle hazards that may endanger the environment during/after mining and processing.

Brian K Katabazi
Associate Director, Centre for Energy Governance
[email protected]

Img Source: New Vision

I am coiled up in lazy thoughts, covered in distress; a deception that weakens my pride.

This man stole something from me and i let him…

I watched him through the corners of my eyes as he spoke, with no sound he took all of me and i did nothing to stop him..

Like a helpless child i lay, through the thorns that kept piercing my flesh, i just lay there as he took it all.. without putting up a fight or screams, i just lay there…

“maybe he slipped something in my drink”, i thought aloud….this man stole so much from me that it hurts…

 

Through the streets i grace, the flares on my dress…my hair all tied up in poise and the bickering that still daunts each time i see a man; this man stole something from me and i let him. My heart he still holds and my soul he keeps hostage…

In an instance of confusion still covered with hope, my glances are narrowed to the ground, afraid to look up and estranged from my thoughts…. still i walk.

This man stole something from me and i was sober…

 

Traces of marble, sweet wine that now stains my carpet, memories i have put to rest but still awakening in scent and taste..

Look at me; see the twist in my curls, the curves on my body and my soft skin that now bears patches, and old wounds.

This man stole my heart, violated my body and i did nothing…

 

A lesson i have learnt, a tale i still tell all covered in webs of wasted years, This man stole everything from me and i let him…

He stole everything, because i let him-

Now dawned with chapters of regret, a poetry that stains these parchments of paper- i was weak, and i let him… yet still he controls me…

A plight now covered in this skin, embalmed on this body…

for a man,

Who took everything from me, because i was afraid.

Serena Hotel, Kampala, and August 9, 2017.

Thank you so much. Let me, first of all, congratulate lead researchers – Professors’ Melina and Pia for concluding this work. I also wish to thank IPA for organizing this event.

This is a particularly interesting day in politics –Few days after Rwanda carried through an election and Kenya is settling dust of counting votes. Clouds of democracy are gathering and heaping on East Africa! And only last year, Uganda went through the same, and not far from here, a decisive and consequential videolized debate at Presidential level happened – echoing memories of the first televised general election presidential debate in 1960 between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. This debate in Uganda happened not necessarily because candidates wanted it – but because people wanted it. People demanded it. And people got it.

The soul and spirit of debate is well captured in words of Evelyn Beatrice Hall in 1903 “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”. And here we some times say, let’s debate until cows come home! It’s a good thing. Joseph Jourbert was also instructive, “It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it.”

Debates are important to shape our policy and development discourse from Villages, Subcounties, districts and national level. Debates’ promote weighing and refining of views, and perhaps it’s what we need to move ahead. The now sometimes inconvenient discussions all over social media are even more important because that platform provides a voice to millions in a society. Authority figures should indeed peep and see what’s going on there, pick great stuff and translate it into policy.

At the Agency for Transformation, we believe that Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment and imagination. When there is debate, there are solutions. When there is no sharing of information and contest of ideas, there can never be rule of law, accountability – there can only be abuse, corruption, subjugation and indignation.

This is why when Melina and Pia said they want to test the correlation between voters knowledge of candidate’s position on a range of issues – and voters choice in both Primary and General elections – we were like HOLA- this is useful and decided to partner with them all the way.

In a world where fake news run faster than light – a post truth world becoming self evident; where with a stone face politicians and authority figures pander to prejudices and emotions as pathway to power, where money and voter bribery is a new normal- it was important to figure out- if along this leaky sewer pipe there was or there is a solid clean water pipe – of a people pursuing logic over emotions’ and policy issues over prejudices. Let’s see what Melina and Pia figured out – and probably use it to build a resilient democratic society. To repurpose words of Katelbey, let flames of debate leap skyward in this Country.

Thank you so much.

I’ve just wrapped up a visit to our Fundi Bots Eastern Uganda office, and while it was a lovely and inspiring visit, there’s this one thing I can never shake off each time I travel.

The one thing that truly scares me about this lovely country of ours, more than anything else – put aside corruption, misuse of resources, nepotism, political entitlement, etc. – is how bad the education system truly is. Of course, the reason for this is in the very things I asked us to put aside.

Basic literacy and numeracy are severely lacking. Reading, Writing, Speaking and Maths.

I’ve spoken with, engaged, mentored and interacted with students of UPE and USE (Universal Primary and Secondary Education) and it’s heartbreaking how the most basic foundation of education is failing; S4 and S6 students who are nearly incapable of effectively communicating in English, and that’s before you get to asking them to communicate the subject matter of their classes.

And this is in relatively urban areas; the problem gets exponentially worse the deeper you go into rural areas until you reach a point where you might as well stop using English.

Of course, we can use our mother tongues, and there are proponents for the idea of using local languages as a pedagogical foundation. But we are one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. Fragmenting an already weakly implemented curriculum into more than fourty local languages is a logistical and implementational nightmare, not to mention the inevitably of once again circling back to English as the dominant global language that will be necessary once the student travels or engages beyond the confines of their district.

So where does this leave us? We need an overhaul, that much is true, but fundamentally, we need very strong and rigorous implementation at all levels, specifically at the grassroots. I could fill a small book with ideas and suggestions for improvement, but here are just a few off-head suggestions.

i) We need to respect, honour and reward teachers, not treat them like second-class citizens who have failed at other professions. And sadly, the majority of teachers are teachers because they have literally failed to find better career options to study at tertiary levels.

Teacher training, skill development and career preparation need to be given the same prestige and rigorous investment as any engineering or legal profession. They need to be paid well and paid on time so that they can exclusively focus on the dissemination of knowledge.

On a side note, I find it ironic that we relegate the education and upkeep of our (beloved) children to people we consider second-class citizens, like teachers and maids.

ii) We need to treat classrooms and schools like the core foundation of society and knowledge that they are. Student attendance should be priority, teacher absenteeism should be dealt with strictly and resources should be provided equitably in a timely and efficient manner.

We need to provide tools that enable and maximise knowledge acquisition and retention and improve learning outcomes for ALL students, irrespective of age, location, tribe, gender and socio-economic standing.

A government student from Nakapiriprit should be at the same level as a government student from Kampala. Let the difference be a result of intellectual ability, passion, skills, etc, not resource availability.

iii) Girl education needs to be highly prioritized. I cannot emphasize enough how important this is. We need gender equity and equality in education.

For example, a lot of men scoff dismissively at menstruation, but we underestimate how much the stigma affects the performance and mindset of our girls.

Those of us – men and women alike – who’ve grown up in entitled and privileged societies where sanitary pads are relatively available and affordable are especially guilty because we cannot imagine prioritizing other things during menstruation periods.

In many societies, the average girl student is absent from school almost 25% of the time during her periods because they cannot stand the stigma and embarrassment at school, not to mention the societal beliefs that she is now ready for marriage. All of this is a foundation for very high failure rates and a continued culture and downward spiral of disillusionment, disenfranchisement, illiteracy and patriarchy.

iv) We need to URGENTLY move away from rote memorization/cramming as a benchmark for academic performance. We should strive to create a culture of learning, exploration and the consistent quest for knowledge as a means for intellectual achievement. Education should be about opening the doors of the mind and showing the possibilities, not about forcing students down pre-determined paths and boxing and locking them into systems that take away passion and creativity.

Things have gotten so bad in schools that many parents are moving towards homeschooling their children to maximize their learning potential.

In summary, our societies have an incredible amount of vices, many of which are quite simply the result of our eccentricities and peculiarities as inherently self-centered humans, but at their core, the majority of our problems in Uganda (and Africa at large) can be solved by simply creating a strong educational foundation in our children and in future generations.

Each time I work with students in science subjects, my mind always wanders back to the ultimate question: how do we create a standard baseline for excellence in education and build up from there? And each passing day, I realize that the standard baseline is numeracy and literacy.

Reading. Writing. Speaking. Maths.

And the big question on my mind now is, how do we get there?

Img Src: purecharity.com

Brief Bio:

Alexander Twinokwesiga is a lawyer and an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, a writer (babatwino.com), and a serial social entrepreneur (alextwino.com).

Current Location:

Kampala, Uganda.

Current gig(s):

The three careers highlighted in the brief bio, a writer at The Deuteronomy, East Africa’s first and only weekly legal newsletter, and The Writers Block Uganda, a news and social commentary website.

alextwino.com is composed of,

1. Umoja Bridge
   Umoja Bridge is an administrative services (immigration and business registration), legal and business consultancy, and investment advisory firm for East Africa.
2. Something Ugandan
   Something Ugandan is an online shop for products of artistic expression as made by Ugandans or coming from Uganda. Products range from art, to music, to movies, to fabric, to fashion and its accessories, to innovative creations, and to unique creations.
3. Turn The Page
   Turn The Page is partly an online bookstore, partly a book club and partly a book reviewer. Its main interest is African literature.
4. Sweet Safari.
   Sweet Safari is a ground travel agency and reviewer of destinations of interest in East Africa. It is an online tour booking site.
5. Hikes And Runs East Africa
   Hikes And Runs profiles upcoming marathon or running events in East Africa.
   It prepares packages for those intending to participate in such events,
   It prepares packages for those intending to go on hiking tours to various destinations in the region.
   It also hires out necessary hiking equipment to those without.

 

Current computer(s)?

An HP Probook 4540s, core i3.

Why this one?

It was, as I was advised, the best I could find at the time and for the fee that I bought it.

Current mobile device(s)?

A Huawei.

Why this one?

I got it as a temporary phone after I had been welcomed back to Kampala with a beating and robbery as I left the Ne-Yo Concert in October 2015.

One word that best describes how you work:

Effective.

How did you end up at your current gig?

A conflation of my innate capabilities, exposure to educative experiences, and the quest for a better fathomable world for many beyond myself.

Are there any career decisions/life choices/failures that were fundamental in making you the person you are now, doing what you are doing now?

To pick on a few; losing my beloved Father at the age of 24, working an 8-5 job and career, which I retired from at the age of 25, and returning home (to Uganda) helped me exploit all the education and experience that I had amassed prior to each of those definitive moments.

Is your start-up able to fully support you or do you have side gigs to sustain you as it grows? Any stories of some of the struggles/sacrifices you’ve had to make to see this dream come to life?

Even in as much as it drains me in all ways imaginable, as I have sacrificed all that is available to me, my work has, thankfully, been a source of, to use the word, pride every other day.

I do lots of these so-called side gigs for so many people, but, unfortunately, I/we live in a culture that does not value the efforts we render. Most, which I would value and ask to be paid in millions of UGX, do not even earn me a decent meal or a cup of coffee.

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

I believe in marketing like the year you live in. As such, I cannot do without Chrome, Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Telegram, and, of course, WhatsApp.

What’s your workspace like?

I live and or work in five towns in East Africa; Kigali, Mbarara, Kampala, Nairobi, and Arusha.

When I am not working from my bedroom or living room, my workspace is, as mobility has made it possible, in the palm of my hands, and on the road – if that is not so problematic to appreciate. I work from anywhere, really. I can draft a notice of motion on a morning matatu in Nairobi, write an article while waiting in a foyer in Entebbe, attend to orders while on a boda-boda in Kampala, attend a meeting in a café in Kigali, and deliver a product in a bar in Mbarara.

I do have colleagues in all major and minor towns in the East and Horn of Africa that believe in me, or that I work with, and/or who can deliver satisfaction as well as I would fancy. So, phone calls, emails and texts help make the otherwise overwhelming processes a little less so.

How big is the team of people you work with and what’s your formula for managing them?

As reflected on my entrepreneurial website, alextwino.com, the team is made up of six core persons; a Chief Executive Officer, a Chief Digital Officer, a Chief Financial Officer, a Chief Communications Officer, a Graphics Design Manager, and a Distribution and Sales Manager, but, as you would expect, there are several unnamed people that we deal with. My family and friends, for example, have been helpful especially when a need arises in a town that I am not physically present.

It should be noted, however, that at the end of the day, it is all on you, as the visionary.

What’s your best time-saving trick/life hack?

1. If a person I am meant to meet with does not show up one minute after the agreed time, then they can stay where they are as they are eating into my time.
2. The longer you wait to fire someone, the longer it has been since you should have fired them.

What’s your favourite to-do list manager?

I used to love Wunderlist, but, lately, I use my diary a whole lot. I never call it a day until every item I set out to when I left the house is checked against – as completed or done.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without and why?

*Looks around* The telly? For the news. Even before computers and mobile phones became common, I have always skimmed through all channels, at every top of the hour, to keep abreast with affairs both local and foreign.

What everyday thing are you better at than most?

Making and drinking tea. Believe me. I take a lot and are made of it.

How do you recharge?

I have been asked, and I have asked myself the same question before, and the answer has always been; “I do not know”. How to decompress, that is. But I am working on finding an activity, or person (winks), that will help keep my ever roaming and anxious mind and body loose.

What do you listen to while you work?

Huh! I can listen to the radio or music, watch TV or a movie, read a book, and hold a conversation while I work. And, I work around the clock, so there is always one or all of the mentioned happening at the same damn time.

What are you currently reading?

As we talk right now, I have paused my reading because, on June 1, 2017, I completed my reading challenge for 2017, which is/was 52 books in 2017. I will resume, to triple it, before the end of December 2017.

What usually leads you to buy a book?

Either a book club recommendation, or to clear an already developed reading list.

Books you’ve read recently that have impacted on you deeply?

There have been many over the years, but the very last book that I read, which was Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future was a good one that I would recommend, especially for those who live in and think about or work for a brighter future.

What kind of impact did they have?

I am not Musk, of course, but I relate a lot with his sentiments, his thoughts, and his (work) ethics. I hope I can achieve only a portion of what he has.

Any mentors/role models that you are working with/have inspired you and what lessons have you managed to learn from them?

I have no mentor or role models. All that I do is a result of my God-given blessings and/or talents.

My mentor and role model was my Father. He died.

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?

A fair share of both. I am too shy that I prefer keeping to myself. Also, I am not what they call an anti-social, which calls for keeping up appearances.

What’s your sleep routine like?

There is none. When it happens, it is polyphasic. I have been sleeping for a total of two hours a day since I was twelve years of age.

How do you strike a balance between work, family, friends and other social obligations?

There is, honestly, no balance. At least, in my life. I concentrate on, and dedicate all my time and direct my energies towards work related activities. As a result, I have sacrificed, so to say, my family, and culled my friends to as few as only those that I know that I refer to them as OQPs (Only Quality People). I, sadly, have no time for social obligations outside the scope of my biases. It would take motivation.

Who would you love to see answer these same questions?

Everyone has dreams and a story and the right to achieve and tell it respectively, right?

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Amongst the many, I do recall a moment with my Father in which he said to me, in 2013, that I should “Acknowledge that you are a child of God and all the best things in life will follow”. I find it worth note.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Besides that, I pray, hope and work towards the world without opportunities and/or work to do, not really.

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If you have any additional questions for Alex, feel free to drop them in the comment section below. He will try and answer those he can. Click here to read other Hustle Tales

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The Hustle Tales (adapted from LifeHackers, How I Work series) asks people that are doing epic things how they go through their daily routines to make sure whatever is needed to get the job accomplished is done. If you are interested in doing one these interviews or know someone you think should do one, inbox us with the details and we’ll see if we can make it happen.