Visit Uganda : Discover her Beauty
They say beauty lies in the hands of the beholder but Uganda’s beauty appeals to everyone who encounter its attractions. Uganda is one of the African countries with unique natural attractions. Despite of being endowed with nature, Uganda is a tourism enhancing or encouraging country as its people are so welcome and the climates favors tourism activities to take place. Every day is a Sunny day in Uganda in other words the sun has to rise each and every day even if it rains heavily and who on earth does not want to relax in the sun or have a good time in the sun.
A visit to Uganda makes one discover natural beauties as it has very many natural attraction attractions. In Africa, Uganda is the king of eco tourism as it has natural environment to visit that is unhampered by man’s activities. One can feel the natural serenity when he/she takes a Uganda safari tour.
Uganda has over 1000 different species of exotic mammals like the lions, buffalos, hippos, elephants, leopard, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, oribis, elands, antelopes among the special ones. It has over 1060 species of bird, 50% of Africa’s birds and a third of the birds are endemic meaning they can only be found in Uganda like the shoebill, the crested crane among the special ones. One can never move around Uganda minus see a bird along the road, on the streets or up in the skies.
Uganda has very many primates and it is among the African countries with most primates due to the fact that it lies on the equator axis an area with equatorial vegetation which thrives the lives of the primates. These primates include the chimpanzees, red and white monkeys, golden monkeys, red tailed monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey to mention but a few. The mountain gorillas are also primates but they are worthy to be mentioned alone due to the fact that they are the most famous attractions in Uganda apparently. Many tourists come to Uganda to engage in gorilla trekking tours due to the lifetime experience they give to the gorilla trackers.
Uganda is also a home of the bird has it has over 1060 bird species and it is the country in Africa with most birds. Bwindi impenetrable national park was named as the best birding site in Africa.
Uganda also has tremendous natural physical attractions like water bodies, mountains, escarpments and natural forests. Uganda owns the largest river in the world The Mighty Nile. This starts from Uganda up to North Africa and magnets a lot of tourism activities like whitewater rafting, kayaking, and bungee jumping.
The pearl of Africa also has Lake Victoria the source of the Nile which is the largest inland fresh water body in Africa. This has a lot of islands where beaches and resorts are established. On the beaches and resorts people have a good time like beach partying, swimming, playing beach games, boat rides, sports fishing, sightseeing and also there are exquisite accommodation facilities where one can have his/her honey moon.
Uganda has a series of mountains but the most notable ones are Mountain Rwenzori also known as the Mountain of the Moon and mountain Elgon and these mountain also have national game parks on them. Hiking and cycling also takes place on these mountains and sightseeing cannot be forgotten to be mentioned that takes place on these wonderful mountains.
As one takes a tour in Uganda to see the above attractions one can discover the natural beauty of Uganda.
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Bamasaaba Launch 2012 Circumcision Season
Traditional Circumcision Ceremony or Imbalu season opens in Uganda
The Bagisu “Gisu” tribe in Eastern Uganda launched the start of this year’s cultural circumcision season on Friday commonly known as ‘Kushina Imbalu’.
The opening ceremony of this year’s 2018 Imbalu season-an ancient Ugandan practice of mass teenage circumcision, was officiated by the Bamasaaba cultural leader Omukuuka Wilson Wamimbi who warned against forceful circumcision – according to www.westfm.co.ke
While speaking at the launch held at Bungokho Mutoto Sub County in Mbale District, the Wamimbi sounded a serious warning against those involved in forceful circumcision saying that the act has brought fear among the non Bagisu ling in the area leading to under development in Bugisu land.
He said that those involved in the act are not true Bamasaaba adding that they might be rebels or Al Shabab using the opportunity to tarnish the name of the kingdom but has however called upon the Government and other stakeholders to help in curbing the threats.
The ritual held around August of every even numbered year is Uganda’s largest mass circumcision.The ceremony signify the rituals, musics and dances performed to initiate adolescent boys into manhood among the Bagisu. Often a public event, it is a celebrated and widely practiced Gishu tradition.
The Bagisu (singular Mugisu) are people of the Bantu family who live along the slopes of Mount Elgon (also called Mount Masaba) in eastern Uganda
For further reading or to learn more about the Imbalu ritual read about MUSICKING AND DANCING IMBALU CIRCUMCISION RITUALS
Read MoreUganda Tourism Minister opens new Heritage Museum
The Uganda Minister of Tourism, Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu, lamented the lack of funding when opening a new privately-owned heritage museum in Mbarara just before Christmas. He used the opportunity to ask for equitable funding for his ministry and the tourism sector, commensurate with the contribution of the sector to the national economy, which he pegged at over 9 percent of GDP, and yet in his own estimate, his ministry was receiving a paltry 0.13 percent from the national budget allocation.
Only recently was Uganda elevated by “Lonely Planet” as THE destination for 2012, but in the absence of sufficient funding, matching the promotion and marketing expenditures of say Kenya or Rwanda, Uganda is expected to fail capitalize on this unique opportunity, leave alone being able to produce some very special promotional campaign as the country enters its 50th independence year.
President Museveni, who was present at the opening ceremony of the new museum in Biharwe township in Mbarara, Western Uganda, was seen nodding to the remarks, giving some hope that a directive to the finance ministry may yet come forth, but its value immediately put in doubt considering the general budgetary constraints of government, in the light of economic developments and runaway inflation.
While most lodges were booked up over the Christmas holidays, fewer than normal Ugandans were seen entering the parks, leaving the field to wealthier expatriates who are not hit by the devaluated shilling as they are paid in hard currency, countering a policy of bringing more and more Ugandans into the national parks and game reserves and staying in the safari lodges and safari camps, unlike in Kenya where the Kenya Tourist Board together with Kenya Wildlife Services has launched the #TembeaKenya campaign, having to get Kenyan know their country better.
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2008 MTN Kampala International Marathon Charity
The 5th edition of the MTN Kampala Marathon will take place on November 23rd 2008. In the first three editions, the proceeds from the marathon were donated to Uganda Red Cross towards the Mama Bag Appeal.
The 20 year civil war in Northern Uganda greatly undermined the public health infrastructure within the region. The Mama Bag Appeal initiative was therefore set up to provide expectant mothers living in Internally Displaced Peoples Camps (IDPs) with the basic necessities for a safe delivery. Expectant mothers were chosen because they were the most vulnerable. Over 8500 expectant mothers in Northern Uganda benefited from the proceeds of the marathon that totaled to 125 million Uganda shillings for the three years.
In 2007, peace slowly returned to the region, with many of the IDPs encouraged to go back to their homes and resettle into a normal life. The MTN Kampala Marathon donated 59 million shillings to the purchasing of a return kit to be given to families from katakwi resettling home from IDP camps. With this money, a total of 1180 kits were distributed to these families. A return kit includes farming implements, seeds, a mosquito net, among many other things.
This year, proceeds from the MTN Kampala Marathon will once again go towards purchasing return kits for families resettling in their homes within the areas of Karamoja, Kitgum, Amuria and Katakwi. The Marathon hopes to be able to purchase 2000 return kits, the cost of which is estimated at 100 million.
We cannot reverse history, but we can shape the future. Togteher we can make a difference.
MTN Kampala Marathon 2008. Run for fun, Run for life.
The marathon legend
In 490 BC, the Greeks defeated the Persians in fierce battle at a place called Marathon; In order to deliver the news of the great victory they sent a runner Pheidippides to Athens to announce the victory. He ran over a distance of roughly 42.83 Km, shortly upon arrival and delivering the good news, “Rejoice! We conquer,” he dropped dead.
Subsequently, when the first modern Olympics were held in Athens in 1896, a race was organised over the same course that Pheidippides used and thus named “The Marathon race”.
The early Olympic Games ran the Marathon over varying distances and it wasn’t till the Paris Summer games of 1924, that the standard distance of 42.195 Km was adopted and used to date.
Marathons in Uganda
The earliest marathon races held in Uganda were run in the 1920s and were organized by Officers of the Kings African Rifles in order to improve the fitness levels of the soldiers, as a result of this one of the first Ugandan Marathon routes ran between Kampala and Bombo Military Barracks.
In the subsequent years in the 50’s and 60’s when running became a popular and professional sport periodic national events began to take root and flourish. Marathons were held in Jinja, Entebbe , Lira, Arua, Mbarara and Moroto.
Unfortunately in the turbulent years from 1972 to 1987 when there was widespread persecution and disorder, organising marathons let alone any form of road-race became an impossibility.
It wasn’t till the late 80’s and the early 90’s when relative peace returned to the country that competitive road races including Marathons were organized once again. However having spent such a long period without hosting regular marathons. Local organizers faced great challenges, Sponsors were skeptical, participants limited in number and the general public uninterested.
Still through the efforts of a few committed individuals and the support of athletics officials a sprinkling of events were held in the late 80 to mid 90’s most notable amongst these was the 1991 British Airways Marathon which was the first comprehensively organized and sponsored Kampala Marathon.
In the subsequent years the Marathon reappeared as an event in the UAAF national athletics calendar both as a full 42 km event and a half marathon, however due to a lack of funds and the intensive nature of a marathon, the races were often cancelled or held under the most Spartan of conditions.
In 2004 MTN Uganda decided to widen its sports sponsorship programme. Athletics was one of the sports chosen; this was due to its wide reaching appeal and the abundance of natural running talent available. In choosing an event that would signify the intent that MTN had for athletics a decision was taken to sponsor an Inaugural Kampala Marathon. The response to this event surpassed all expectations and the inaugural MTN Kampala Marathon in 2004 drew over 1264 participants both local and international.
The actual race was won by local track star Joseph Nsubuga (fittingly a soldier) who clocked a winning time of 2:18:21 while the women’s race was won by Margaret Nakintu in a time of 3:07:17. These times though considered slow by international standards must be considered in their context, the route in Kampala “the city of seven hills” is one of the most challenging in the world.
The second edition of the MTN Kampala Marathon was dominated by Kenyans the Men’s race was won by Busienei Wilson Kipkemei who led a Kenyan clean sweep of the first three places, the time itself was disappointingly slow 2 hours 31 minutes 31 seconds, well below the previous years best set by Joseph Nsubuga.
The women’s race once again confirmed the dominance of Margeret Nakinti on the Ugandan women’s marathon scene she successfully defended her title in a time of 2:48:18. Unfortunately she will not be able to defend her title in 2006 having won the event twice and long dominated the local distance running scene she secured a sports scholarship and is now permanently based in the US.
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