Latest news with #Kampala
Al Arabiya
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Zohran Mamdani visiting Uganda during NYC mayoral campaign
New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani is visiting his native country of Uganda to celebrate his recent marriage, taking a short break from the campaign trail ahead of the November election. Mamdani announced the visit in a video posted to social media on Sunday and said he would return to the city by the end of July. The trip comes as Mamdani, a 33-year-old member of the state Assembly, is facing a crowded field of opponents in the city's general election, including former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who are both running as independent candidates. In his video, Mamdani joked that he had decided to heed the consistent advice of some of his critics online who have told him to return to Africa, showing a screen full of posts that called for him to leave the US. 'I hear you and I agree: I'm going back to Uganda,' he said. 'I'm headed there in a personal capacity to celebrate Rama and Is' marriage with our family and friends. But I do want to apologize to the haters because I will be coming back,' Mamdani added. Mamdani announced his marriage to Rama Duwaji, an animator and illustrator, earlier this year. He was born in Kampala, Uganda, to Indian parents and moved to New York when he was 7, becoming naturalized as an American citizen in 2018. Mamdani defeated Cuomo in the city's Democratic primary election, but Cuomo later relaunched his campaign to run as an independent candidate. Adams is a Democrat but skipped this primary to instead run as an independent because of the political fallout over his now-dismissed federal corruption case. Jim Walden, a former prosecutor, is also running as an independent. Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the anti-crime Guardian Angels patrol group, is running on the Republican line.
The Independent
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Zohran Mamdani visiting Uganda during NYC mayoral campaign
New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani is visiting his native country of Uganda to celebrate his recent marriage, taking a short break from the campaign trail ahead of the November election. Mamdani announced the visit in a video posted to social media on Sunday and said he would return to the city by the end of July. The trip comes as Mamdani, a 33-year-old member of the state Assembly, is facing a crowded field of opponents in the city's general election, including former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who are both running as independent candidates. In his video, Mamdani joked that he had decided to heed the 'consistent advice' of some of his critics online who have told him to return to Africa, showing a screen full of posts that called for him to leave the U.S. 'I hear you, and I agree: I'm going back to Uganda,' he said. 'I'm headed there in a personal capacity to celebrate Rama and I's marriage with our family and friends.' "But I do want to apologize to the haters, because I will be coming back," Mamdani added. Mamdani announced his marriage to Rama Duwaji, an animator and illustrator, earlier this year. He was born in Kampala, Uganda to Indian parents and moved to New York when he was 7, becoming naturalized as an American citizen in 2018. Mamdani defeated Cuomo in the city's Democratic primary election but Cuomo later relaunched his campaign to run as an independent candidate. Adams is a Democrat but skipped this primary to instead run as an independent because of the political fallout over his now-dismissed federal corruption case. Jim Walden, a former prosecutor, is also running as an independent. Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the anti-crime Guardian Angels patrol group, is running on the Republican line.
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
President Museveni Calls for Household Census in Kampala to Refine Parish Development Model (PDM) Budgeting
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has directed local authorities in Kampala's five divisions to establish accurate data on the number of households within their jurisdictions to help in the equitable allocation of funds under the Parish Development Model (PDM). The call was made on Saturday, July 19, 2025, during his visit to Kyambogo Complex Parish in Nakawa Division, where he met with PDM beneficiaries, including a standout success story, Ms. Mbabazi Lillian. The President emphasized the need for a data-driven approach to planning and budgeting for the PDM program, highlighting that the uniform allocation of UGX 100 million per parish annually is insufficient for urban centers with dense populations and high demand for financial support. 'So, this is the kibalo (calculation) I want in the town: to know how many parishes and how many homesteads are in each parish so that when we plan, we shall give over one million, plus some additional funding, based on the number of homes in that parish,' said President Museveni. He noted that urban parishes, like those in Kampala, are experiencing overwhelming demand for PDM funds, and the current funding structure fails to cater effectively to the high number of eligible households. During the meeting, President Museveni who was accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Kataaha Museveni, also toured the poultry enterprise of Ms. Mbabazi, a PDM beneficiary who used her UGX 1 million funding to launch a successful poultry business. Mbabazi initially purchased 125 broiler chicks with UGX 350,000 and invested the remaining funds in feed and poultry housing. After a month, she sold the broilers for UGX 1.5 million and reinvested in a second round, earning UGX 2.6 million. Her success did not stop there. She later bought 250 more chicks at UGX 700,000 and sold them for UGX 3.2 million. Eventually, she transitioned into layer chicken farming for egg production, purchasing chicks at UGX 6,500 each. After three months, her hens began laying, and she now collects six trays of eggs daily. Standing beside her husband, Mr. Samuel Rukundo, Mbabazi expressed gratitude to the President and the government for initiating the PDM. 'Now I have some achievement because I was badly off due to COVID-19. My children now go to school, and we're doing well. I have UGX 3 million in savings and have also started a small juice and chips business,' she said. Despite her success, she voiced concern over her lack of permanent land, stating that her current residence is on Kyambogo University property, which restricts her expansion. Moved by her story, President Museveni congratulated Mbabazi for exemplifying the benefits of PDM when effectively implemented. He offered her UGX 10 million to scale up her poultry business and pledged to buy her two acres of land for permanent settlement and farming. 'When I come here and see that Rukundo and Mbabazi have implemented one of the seven items under the four-acre model, then I feel very happy,' President Museveni stated. Additionally, the President extended UGX 10 million in cash to each PDM beneficiary from the Kyambogo complex parish. President Museveni used the opportunity to reflect on Uganda's economic transformation journey since independence. He underscored the challenge of transitioning the population from subsistence farming to a money economy, citing that in the 1960s, only 4% of households were integrated into the monetary system. He explained that Uganda's traditional economy revolved around '3 Cs and 3 Ts'—cotton, copper, coffee, tobacco, tea, and tourism. While some communities, particularly in Buganda and Northern Uganda, engaged in commercial farming, the majority remained in subsistence agriculture. 'In my district, Ntungamo, there were six shops for Indians and Arabs. But we had land, banana plantations, and cows, just for home consumption. This has been our struggle,' President Museveni said. To reverse this, he initiated the four-acre model, a strategic framework advocating for diversified farming focusing on items such as coffee, fruits, pasture for dairy, food crops, and backyard enterprises such as poultry, piggery, or fish farming. 'Those who listened have moved. Masaka focused on coffee and is doing well. Poultry and dairy are also transforming lives,' he remarked. President Museveni narrated the historical evolution of government-led wealth creation initiatives, from the Entandikwa program through LC structures to NAADS and eventually Operation Wealth Creation (OWC). While OWC saw a marked improvement in integrating Ugandans into the money economy, reaching 61% by 2020, President Museveni expressed discontent over reports of favoritism by UPDF officers. 'I started hearing stories that the soldiers were 'baali beegabira bokka' (giving to friends and relatives), spoiling the name of the UPDF. I told them, let the army get out. Let's give money directly to people at their parishes. If they misuse it, God is there; he will deal with them,' the President said. He cited the success of Mbabazi as a vindication of the shift to direct disbursement of funds under the PDM. Highlighting the case of Kawempe Division, President Museveni noted that with 22 parishes each receiving UGX 100 million annually, a total of UGX 6.6 billion has been injected into approximately 7,000 households over the past three years. 'This money, if used wisely, can transform lives. You don't need a moneylender who charges UGX 400,000 per month, UGX 5.8 million a year. With PDM, you return UGX 1 million plus UGX 120,000 interest in two years,' H.E. Museveni explained, further urging beneficiaries to understand the revolving nature of PDM and not expect lump-sum access to the fund, emphasizing that with patience, all will benefit. President Museveni's visit to Kyambogo marked one of the penultimate events of his nationwide PDM sensitization tour, which has seen him crisscross the country to evaluate impact, inspire uptake, and recalibrate the program's delivery. The grand finale will be held on Sunday, July 20, 2025, at Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala, where a mega rally is expected to draw thousands of Kampala residents. The event in Kyambogo was also attended by key government figures, including Government Chief Whip Hon. Hamson Denis Obua, National PDM Coordinator Hon. Denis Galabuzi Ssozi, KCCA Executive Director, Hajjat Sharifah Buzeki and her deputy Mr. Benon Kigenyi, Presidential Advisors Hajjat Sarah Kanyike and Hon. Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi, among others. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Uganda.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Idi Amin made himself out to be the ‘liberator' of an oppressed majority – a demagogic trick that endures today
Fifty years ago, Ugandan President Idi Amin wrote to the governments of the British Commonwealth with a bold suggestion: Allow him to take over as head of the organization, replacing Queen Elizabeth II. After all, Amin reasoned, a collapsing economy had made the U.K. unable to maintain its leadership. Moreover the 'British empire does not now exist following the complete decolonization of Britain's former overseas territories.' It wasn't Amin's only attempt to reshape the international order. Around the same time, he called for the United Nations headquarters to be moved to Uganda's capital, Kampala, touting its location at 'the heart of the world between the continents of America, Asia, Australia and the North and South Poles.' Amin's diplomacy aimed to place Kampala at the center of a postcolonial world. In my new book, 'A Popular History of Idi Amin's Uganda,' I show that Amin's government made Uganda – a remote, landlocked nation – look like a frontline state in the global war against racism, apartheid and imperialism. Doing so was, for the Amin regime, a way of claiming a morally essential role: liberator of Africa's hitherto oppressed people. It helped inflate his image both at home and abroad, allowing him to maintain his rule for eight calamitous years, from 1971 to 1979. The phony liberator? Amin was the creator of a myth that was both manifestly untrue and extraordinarily compelling: that his violent, dysfunctional regime was actually engaged in freeing people from foreign oppressors. The question of Scottish independence was one of his enduring concerns. The 'people of Scotland are tired of being exploited by the English,' wrote Amin in a 1974 telegram to United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim. 'Scotland was once an independent country, happy, well governed and administered with peace and prosperity,' but under the British government, 'England has thrived on the energies and brains of the Scottish people.' Even his cruelest policies were framed as if they were liberatory. In August 1972, Amin announced the summary expulsion of Uganda's Asian community. Some 50,000 people, many of whom had lived in Uganda for generations, were given a bare three months to tie up their affairs and leave the country. Amin named this the 'Economic War.' In the speech that announced the expulsions, Amin argued that 'the Ugandan Africans have been enslaved economically since the time of the colonialists.' The Economic War was meant to 'emancipate the Uganda Africans of this republic.' 'This is the day of salvation for the Ugandan Africans,' he said. By the end of 1972, some 5,655 farms, ranches and estates had been vacated by the departed Asian community, and Black African proprietors were queuing up to take over Asian-run businesses. A year later, when Amin attended the Organization of African Unity summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, his 'achievements' were reported in a booklet published by the Uganda government. During his speech, Amin was 'interrupted by thunderous applauses of acclamation and cheers, almost word for word, by Heads of State and Government and by everybody else who had a chance to hear it,' according to the the report. It was, wrote the government propagandist, 'very clear that Uganda had emerged as the forefront of a True African State. It was clear that African nationalism had been born again. It was clear that the speech had brought new life to the freedom struggle in Africa.' Life at the front Amin's policies were disastrous for all Ugandans, African and Asian alike. Yet his war of economic liberation was, for a time, a source of inspiration for activists around the world. Among the many people gripped by enthusiasm for Amin's regime was Roy Innis, the Black American leader of the civil rights organization Congress of Racial Equality. In March 1973, Innis visited Uganda at Amin's invitation. Innis and his colleagues had been pressing African governments to grant dual citizenship to Black Americans, just as Jewish Americans could earn citizenship from the state of Israel. Over the course of their 18 days in Uganda, the visiting Americans were shuttled around the country in Amin's helicopter. Everywhere, Innis spoke with enthusiasm about Amin's accomplishments. In a poem published in the pro-government Voice of Uganda around the time of his visit, Innis wrote: 'Before, the life of your people was a complete bore, And they were poor, oppressed, exploited and economically sore. And you then came and opened new, dynamic economic pages. And showered progress on your people in realistic stages. In such expert moves that baffled even the great sages, your electric personality pronounced the imperialists' doom. Your pragmatism has given Ugandans their economic boom.' In May 1973, Innis was back in Uganda, promising to recruit a contingent of 500 African American professors and technicians to serve in Uganda. Amin offered them free passage to Uganda, free housing and free hospital care for themselves and their families. The American weekly magazine Jet predicted that Uganda was soon to become an 'African Israel,' a model nation upheld by the energies and knowledge of Black Americans. As some have observed, Innis was surely naive. But his enthusiasm was shared by a great many people, not least a great many Ugandans. Inspired by Amin's promises, their energy and commitment kept institutions functioning in a time of great disruption. They built roads and stadiums, constructed national monuments and underwrote the running costs of government ministries. Patriotism and demagoguery Their ambitions were soon foreclosed by a rising tide of political dysfunction. Amin's regime came to a violent end in 1979, when he was ousted by the invading army of Tanzania and fled Uganda. But his brand of demagoguery lives on. Today a new generation of demagogues claim to be fighting to liberate aggrieved majorities from outsiders' control. In the 1970s, Amin enlisted Black Ugandans to battle against racial minorities who were said to dominate the economy and public life. Today an ascendant right wing encourages aggrieved white Americans to regard themselves as a majority dispossessed of their inheritance by greedy immigrants. Amin encouraged Ugandans to regard themselves as frontline soldiers, engaged in a globally consequential war against foreigners. In today's America, some people similarly feel themselves deputized to take matters of state into their own hands. In January 2021, for instance, a right-wing group called 'Stop the Steal' organized a rally in Washington. Vowing to 'take our country back,' they stormed the Capitol building. The racialized demagoguery that Idi Amin promoted inspired the imagination of a great many people. It also fed violent campaigns to repossess a stolen inheritance, to reclaim properties that ought, in the view of the aggrieved majority, to belong to native sons and daughters. His regime is for us today a warning about the compelling power of demagoguery to shape people's sense of purpose. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Derek R. Peterson, University of Michigan Read more: Idi Amin and Donald Trump - strong men with unlikely parallels Idi Amin's 'economic war' victimised Uganda's Africans and Asians alike Zohran Mamdani's last name reflects centuries of intercontinental trade, migration and cultural exchange Derek R. Peterson receives funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Andrew Mellon Foundation. Solve the daily Crossword
Zawya
4 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Uganda's Quality Chemicals proposes $51mln debt refinancing deal
Uganda's Quality Chemical Industries Ltd is fronting a $51 million debt refinancing deal to its shareholders, inspiring some kind of stock market enthusiasm in an electioneering season in the country. This credit facility comprises a $36 million loan meant to finance the construction of a second pharmaceutical plant in Kampala City and a $15 million working capital loan intended to plug short-term cash flow gaps in the company's operations. Stanbic Bank Uganda is to provide the facility, subject to approval by the company's shareholders at the upcoming annual general meeting (AGM), according to regulatory disclosures filed by the listed drug manufacturer.'The borrowing will fund the construction of a new factory, significantly enhancing our production capacity. This expansion will support increased output of existing products, the introduction of new product lines, and alignment with evolving treatment preferences, particularly injectables,' reads a statement by Quality Chemicals. Calvin Bateme, an equity analyst at Crested Capital, said the move could benefit from the fact that the firm won't suffer exchange rate losses -- for now -- given the Uganda shilling has been fairly stable.'It would be a good idea to provide a foreign currency hedging tool against its dollar loan facilities. There is also new competition to contend with in the local pharmaceutical market. Though the company's dividend policy has improved and the share price has registered steady gains, its share price might not hit more than Ush100 ($0.028) this year, because of limited information flow between the company and its investors,' Mr Bateme said. Coming in an elections campaign season, however, foreign currency risks are likely due to jitters, significant capital flight, shilling depreciation, and higher import inflation, which often arise during electioneering seasons. Uganda goes to the General Election in January 2026. Presidential nominations are scheduled for October 2025, according to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) calendar. Weak credit ratings suffered by Uganda's economy last year means credit is still expensive for government and local companies seeking such facilities in the international market. On May 17, 2024, Moody's credit rating agency downgraded Uganda's sovereign rating from B2 to B3 and revised the outlook from negative to stable. This downgrade was attributed to the country's weakened debt affordability, driven by an increased reliance on higher-cost sources of financing.'The resulting rise in borrowing costs widened Uganda's debt affordability gap relative to its peers. Following the downgrade, the Ugandan Shilling experienced significant depreciation, weakening from UGX 3,760 to UGX 3,830 by Monday, May 20, 2024…' reads an excerpt from the Uganda Bankers Association Annual Report for 2024. Quality Chemical Industries's total sales revenues increased from Ush265 billion ($73.4 million) in March 2024 to Ush267 billion ($73.9 million) in March 2025. The company's total cost of sales rose from Ush175.9 billion ($48.7 million) in March 2024 to Ush158.6 billion ($43.9 million) in March 2025.'The macroeconomic factors may be important, but the microeconomics of this market does affect Quality Chemical's performance a lot more. Will the new drugs produced at the new plant enjoy mass market appeal? Are the product unit prices sufficient to protect the company's target profit margins? Business expansion is good, but revenues must back it to justify it to investors,' said a senior executive at Xeno Uganda, who requested anonymity, citing confidentiality rules. The company's share price rose from Ush52 ($0.014) recorded at the end of June 2024 to a record high of Ush90 ($0.025) posted in the first half of 2025. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
