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Farmers’ selection cues in cowpea for vegetable use in eastern Uganda
Full text linkThis is a research article on participatory cowpea varietal selection was carried out in Eastern Uganda in Kumi district among farmersA participatory cowpea varietal selection was carried out in Eastern Uganda in the Kumi district among farmers (n=30) in the sub-Counties of Ongino, Kumi and Kanyum. An arange of opinions were collected to identify farmers’ selection criteria based on different sensory attributes and their most preferred genotypes for vegetable use. A Apreference analysis was carried out to obtain quantitative preference scores of each plot. This was followed by organoleptic tests which included attributes like taste, aroma and texture of the genotypes at the vegetative and immature R4 stages. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were also held to find a consensus of the independent evaluations made by individual farmers. Data for sixteen (16) cowpea genotypes were collected at the different above-mentioned stages. Quantitative data were analyzed based on farmers’ scores made on the different evaluated attributes and ANOVA was used to provide mean differences between location, gender and genotype at a significant level
of 5%. The preference score for each of the varieties tested was determined and presented.
Data from FGDs were grouped, similarities and differences were later determined
depending on their level of importance to the farmers. Significant differences (p<0.05) in farmer choices were observed for leaf taste, immature pod aroma, taste and texture; mature pod aroma, taste between farmer groups, age genotype and gender. Irrespective of age, gender, farmer group and genotype, farmers seemed to give more importance to the smooth texture, little hard leaves when chewing, sweet taste with a mild aroma (leaves) and a moderate aroma (pods). Majority (9%) of the farmers preferred Ebelat (landrace) at V4 stage; this was followed by Danila (8.7%). On the other hand,
UCUCOW1 (13% at immature and 10.2% at mature cooked R4 stage) followed by
Ebelat (9% and 9.8% for immature and mature R4 stage, respectively) were preferred by the majority of the farmers. In terms of sensory attributes, farmers preferred genotypes with a sweet taste, moderate aroma and tender texture. The information is a baseline for understanding key farmer selection criteria in the utilization of cowpea as a vegetable which can be used in generating a demand-led variety design for the crop
Enhancing the value of short term volunteer missions in health from host country perspectives: the Case of Uganda
Full text linkShort-term medical missions (STMMs), estimated to involve 1.6 million volunteers and US$2-3 billion annually, can be very valuable, but there is a growing critique of practices. Serious concerns have arisen around possible harms to host countries and patients, including medical errors, non-alignment with local systems and priorities, cultural insensitivity, and the high cost compared to benefits. Scholars and practitioners across diverse sectors involved-faith-based, corporate, NGO, and educational-have questioned the value of STMMs and proposed strategies for improving them.
Missing from this assessment are voices of host communities and research on host country efforts to control the quality of visiting programs. In this study, we investigated host perspectives on STMMs. The study was driven by the need to examine the regulatory and policy environment as well as to establish the perspectives of all country stakeholders on STMMs with the view of enhancing their value. This research is a collaborative effort between researchers at Uganda Christian University in Mukono, Uganda and Lehigh University, PA, United States of America.
A qualitative methodology was adopted, with in-depth interviews as the main tool. A total of 46 interviews with policy makers, Non-Governmental Organisations and those who have engaged with volunteers in the communities were conducted in Uganda. The analysis was computer-assisted and thematic.
The study revealed that the health needs of the country are many, and STMMs contribute to closing some of the gaps, although this may be limited given the scope of needs. Some of these health needs include limited infrastructure and budget support for health, low levels of staffing and inadequate resources such as equipment in the facilities.
It was further revealed that the contributions made are bi-directional, with host communities claiming that they contribute towards pre-visit preparations, accommodation, local expertise on tropical diseases, and social support while volunteers contribute skills, treatment, equipment, awareness and research. Nevertheless, from the perspective of stakeholders interviewed, STMM volunteers face challenges such as cultural shock, inadequate resources to work with, manpower to support them, high expectations from the communities and delay in clearance for practice.
Despite their contributions, the study established that host communities expressed concerns about the nature of STMMs involving lack of experience, hidden interests, misalignment with community needs, security risks, code of conduct and sustainability of support.
A review of Ugandan laws reveals many that are related to the regulation of health services, but none that specifically mentions short-term mission trips. Most stakeholders interviewed were unaware of any regulatory oversight of visiting health teams, although some were aware of the need for clearance of visitors’ credentials.
It is therefore recommended that in order to enhance the value of STMMs in Uganda, concrete actions be taken involving improving and making known the conditions for licensing and oversight, improving communication, enhancing collaboration and supporting capacity building for local experts.Uganda Christian University, Uganda and Lehigh University, US
Law of Witchcraft in Uganda
Full text linkUse of supernatural or magical powers is a prominent phenomenon since antiquity till date. In our latter days, successful businessmen have been accused of amassing illicit wealth through the practice of witchcraft and magic, notions of blood money. Imagine such scene of a woman sitting on broom, holding it at its long handle and perhaps naked, freely floating in space with ease like directed balloon. One wonders about any possibility of mysterious healing. Like who does that or can do that? Pursuing a course in witchcraft and magic at one of the best universities on the face of the earth, another thought coming handy. Yet furthermore, discovering a world super power like America with legislation on sorcery is too much to imagine. Headlines on the media about cadavers being exhumed for body parts, human sacrifices, albinos and twins mostly being the major victims and or people being banished from their homes for witchcraft. To commit oneself whether wholly or partially in a trade where the bravest fear and courageous menfolk and womenfolk shun off is precisely a mindboggling manifestation of human uniqueness
Health Crises and Media Discourses in Sub-Saharan Africa
Full text linkThis is an open-access book that brings together leading scholars and critical discourses on political, economic, legal, technological, socio-cultural, and systemic changes and continuities intersecting media and health crises in Sub-Saharan Africa. The volume extensively discusses COVID-19 but it also covers other epidemics, such as malaria, and HIV/AIDS as well as “silent” health crises such as mental health---simmering across the subcontinent. The chapters fill knowledge gaps, highlight innovations, and unpack the complexities surrounding the media ecosystem in times of health crises. They explore, among other issues, the politics of public health communication; infodemics; existential threats to media viability; draconian legislations; threats to journalists/journalism; COVID-related entrepreneurship, marginalization, and more.
This is a timely resource for academics, advocacy groups, media practitioners and policymakers working on crises and media reporting, not just in Africa but anywhere in the global South.Long before the Covid-19 health crisis, sub-Saharan Africa has and still endures the brunt of many global health crises such as the deadly Ebola virus, HIV/AIDS, cholera and malaria, which have claimed millions of lives. Then came the Covid19 outbreak at the dawn of 2019 that has, to date, infected 511,965,711 and killed 6,240,619 people globally. Although better2 than other regions, Africa accounts for 8,790,143 confirmed cases and 171,666 deaths (WHO, 03 May 2022)—making Covid-19 a unique health crisis. Unique in that when, in January 2020, the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (and a global pandemic soon after), countries around the world embarked on drastic public health measures to curb the spread. Restrictions of different proportions and motives were instituted with various repercussions on all sectors, including the media
Hoodwinked, Dumped, Used and Re-Dumped; A Quest for Buganda's Cause for Buganda's Independence
Full text linkExorcising the inexorcible Buganda ghost: Hoodwinked, Dumped, Used and re-dumped; A quest for Buganda's cause for Buganda's independence. Buganda in response to their proposals, were invariably faced either cynical deception. What went wrong? Where did this insolent manner of talking down from the height of their exceptionalism, infallibility and all-permissiveness come from? What is the explanation for this contemptuous and disdainful attitude to Buganda interests and absolutely legitimate demands? Buganda has grown weaker and subsequently broken apart. That experience should serve as a good lesson for Buganda because it has shown us that the paralysis of power and will is the first step towards complete degradation and oblivion. Buganda lost confidence for only one moment, but it was enough to disrupt the balance of forces in the Uganda. As a result, this book will argue that the old treaties and agreements are no longer effective. Entreaties and requests do not help. Anything that does not suit the dominant state, the powers that be, is denounced as archaic, obsolete and useless. This redivision of the world, and the norms of international law that developed by that time and the most important of them, the fundamental norms that were adopted following WWII and largely formalised its outcome came in the way of those who declared themselves the "bread servers" under the scramble and partition of Africa
Digital Money: the law of cryptocurrency and cryptography
Full text linkOrdinarily, a cryptocurrency is a digital currency. Crypto currencies are digital assets that are designed to effect electronic payments without the participation of a central authority or intermediary such as a Central Bank or licensed financial institution. It is a medium of exchange that is in the form of digital asset and is designed to use strong cryptography in securing financial transactions; the control of creating additional units; and verifying asset transfer. Put more simply, it is a digital currency in which transactions are verified and records maintained by a decentralized system using cryptography, rather than by a centralized authority. Cryptocurrencies’ may have an effect of bypassing the traditional established centralized systems of money transaction control and this factor has to some minor extent contributed to the skepticism that some economies have towards adopting this trend. In the making of Bit coins, the framers envisioned a world here people would use this digital currency for almost all transactions. No wander still, that the traditional banking system wants to control or eliminate bitcoin. Despite the skepticism surrounding Bitcoins, some countries have endorsed it. El Salvador was the first country to use bitcoin as legal tender, alongside the US dollar.1 Japan and the U.K have also gone miles in promoting the using of bitcoins. Bitcoins being virtual and secured by cryptography, gives another important bypass to common day challenges in the money market like counterfeiting and double spending. They fall under a decentralized system based on block chain technology
Management of Education Services in Prisons: A Case Study
Full text linkIn this paper we assess the management of education services in Uganda prisons, taking a case study of Luzira Upper Prison. Specifically, this study established the kind of education services provided to inmates in Luzira Upper prison, as well as sought to establish the relationship between jail term and the type of education services offered to inmates in Luzira Upper prison. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative approaches to gather the necessary data. With a single case study design. A questionnaire and an interview guide were used to collect data from inmates accessing education services, teachers, Prison Warders and senior prison staff purposively selected who composed the sample. (n=104) The study findings pointed to Vocational trainings, basic education in form of general subjects; creative art teaching lessons to the inmates among others. To establish whether jail term had a relationship with type of education service in Luzira Upper Prisons a correlation was computed, examined and interpreted using the Chi-Square Test. The results also pointed to a positive relationship between jail term and type of education program undertaken at Luzira Upper Prison by the inmates as indicated by (p = 0.565). This relationship is significant since the significance of 0.565 is discovered to be greater than 0.05. The study concluded that management of prison education services has a well-established curriculum with both vocational and academic courses being offered, the policy of voluntary participation to education is a major shortcoming leading to recidivism. We concluded that government needs to effectively increase finances to mitigate shortages arising from the education provision to inmates, strategically plan an expansion of the curricula to include skills targeting psycho social aspect in a restricted environment to allow complete rehabilitation after the inmate tenure. The study recommended that ministry of education and sports should not only make inmate education compulsory to all inmates but also take the leading role in adopting prison schools in on the list of community public schools in Uganda
Financial Inclusion and the Growth of Small Medium Enterprises in Uganda: Empirical Evidence from Selected Districts in Lango sub-region
Full text linkThe growth and failure of small and medium enterprises has been a topic of
discussions world over among policymakers and researchers. This study was guided
by the following objectives: to examine the contributions of small medium
enterprises (SMEs), to determine the challenges affecting small medium enterprises,
to examine how financial inclusiveness supports the growth of small medium
enterprises, and to establish the relationship between financial inclusion and growth
of small medium enterprises. The study used a cross-sectional research design.
Descriptive design was used and supplemented by inferential statistics. Correlation
and regression analysis were adopted. The study revealed that financial inclusion is
significant in supporting SME growth. The study further also revealed that the cost of
acquiring and servicing financial services is high; there is also difficulty in using some
of the financial services, and the way financial providers treat financial users, some
lacked some degree of respect and dignity. The study recommends that financial
providers should continue sensitizing the public on the available financial services
beyond credit services, which are common and known. Digital financial service
providers should encourage their clientele to use digitalized financial services which
are cheap, secure, and risk averse. The cost of capital should also be reduced to
encourage borrowing while SMEs should innovatively produce goods that can be
competitive at both domestic and international markets
Assessment of physical conditions and proposed best management practices of domestic storage tanks supplied by a water utility in a rapidly growing City.
Full text linkThis is a research article on the physical conditions of domestic storage tanks for customers supplied by a water utility was assessed in Kampala, a rapidly growing City in UgandaThe physical conditions of domestic storage tanks for customers supplied by a water utility were assessed in Kampala, a rapidly growing City in Uganda. A longitudinal assessment of 372 storage tanks in 6 sampled administrative Wards with a minimum of 6 samples collected from each site in both wet (March-May) and dry (June-August) months of 2017 was carried out. A set of guiding questions were used to establish tank conditions with a YES or NO response and a range of low to critical risk rating. It was revealed that there was a statistically significant relationship (p=0.001) between tank physical conditions and quality of stored water. Two of six Wards in the City had high levels of water contamination related to domestic water storage tanks with poor sanitary conditions and contaminated water with E. coli. The study therefore revealed that the physical conditions and management of domestic water storage tanks have an effect on water quality. This is important information for a water utility as it means that it is not enough to supply safe water if the quality may deteriorate upon storage at the consumer premises. A routine inspection checklist and consumer guidelines for domestic storage tank management are proposed
The Relationship between Anxiety and Teacher Performance in Private Secondary Schools
Full text linkThe main objective was to examine the relationship between anxiety and teachers’ performance in private secondary schools in Mukono Municipality. Headteachers, teachers, Chairman Board of Governors, District education officer and Inspector of Schools composed participants to the study giving a total of 60 participants whose data was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The study adopted a descriptive study design. A correlation Analysis was done to establish the existing relationship between anxiety and teacher’s performance while regression analysis was used to examine the effects of anxiety on the teachers’ performance. The results indicate that a negative and significant relationship at 1% Exist between teachers’ performance and Anxiety (R=-0.964, P<0.01). The negative relationship indicates that an increase in anxiety leads to a decrease in teacher’s performance and a decrease in anxiety leads to an increase in teacher’s performance. Results further indicate that the R2 of the model is 0.93, which implies that anxiety explain 93% change in the performance of teachers. It further revealed that lack of commitment to work, transfer aggression to students, getting distraction at work, ineffective teachers failing to get involved in proper preparation of lessons and evaluating students’ work, failing to finish content syllabus coverage, lost morale and negative attitude towards work are the major effects of anxiety on the teachers’ performance