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Ray of hope for sub-Saharan Africa's paratransit: Solar charging of urban electric minibus taxis in South Africa
Full text linkThis is a research article on Minibus taxi public transport is a seemingly chaotic phenomenon in the developing cities of the Global South with unique mobility and operational characteristics.Minibus taxi public transport is a seemingly chaotic phenomenon in the developing cities of the Global South with unique mobility and operational characteristics. Eventually this ubiquitous fleet of minibus taxis is expected to transition to electric vehicles, which will result in an additional energy burden on Africa's already fragile electrical grids. This paper examines the electrical energy demands of this possible evolution, and presents a generic simulation environment to assess the grid impact and charging opportunities. We used GPS tracking and spatiotemporal data to assess the energy requirements of nine electric minibus taxis as well as the informal and formal stops at which the taxis can recharge. Given the region's abundant sunshine, we modelled a grid-connected solar photovoltaic charging system to determine how effectively PV may be used to offset the additional burden on the electrical grid. The mean energy demand of the taxis was 213kWh/d, resulting in an average efficiency of
0.93kWh/km. The stopping time across taxis, a proxy for charging opportunity, ranged from 7.7 h/d to 10.6 h/d. The energy supplied per surface area of PV to offset the charging load of a taxi while stopping, ranged from
0.38 to 0.90kWh/m2 per day. Our simulator, which is publicly available, and the results will allow traffic planners and grid operators to assess and plan for looming electric vehicle roll-outs
Amplifying local voices to reduce failure in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector
Full text linkThis is a poster briefWASH endeavours regularly fail. Sometimes this means that entire programmes do not achieve their stated aims, sometimes these failures are setbacks which can be rectified with sufficient reflection and action.
This research aimed to develop an evidence base of how and why field-based WASH professionals in four sub-Saharan African countries believe failures occur, their experiences when sharing and discussing them within their organisations, and how they believe a culture conducive to publicly sharing and learning from failures could be nurtured
Socio-Institutional Drivers of Groundwater Contamination Hazards: The Case of On-Site Sanitation in the Bwaise Informal Settlement, Kampala, Uganda
Full text linkThis is a research article which contributes to the development of a socio-institutional assessment framework based on a case study of contamination by on-site sanitation (OSS) in an informal settlement of Bwaise (Kampala, Uganda).Socio-institutional factors are poorly addressed in the risk assessment of groundwater contamination. This paper contributes to the development of a socio-institutional assessment framework based on a case study of contamination by on-site sanitation (OSS) in an informal settlement of Bwaise (Kampala, Uganda). We conducted a snapshot survey of the recent extent of groundwater contamination by OSS using microbial and hydro-chemical indicators. Through transition arenas and key informant interviews, we investigated the socio-institutional drivers of the contamination.
Overall, 14 out of the 17 sampled groundwater sources tested positive for Escherichia coli during the wet season. Nitrate concentrations at four sources exceeded the World Health Organization guideline value (50 mg/L), attributed to OSS. Despite the high contamination, the community highly valued groundwater as an alternative to the intermittent municipal water supply. We deduced six drivers of groundwater contamination, including land-use management, user attributes, governance, infrastructure management, groundwater valuation, and the operating environment (“LUGIVE”).
Qualitative indicators for each of the drivers were also construed, and their interlinkages presented in a causal loop diagram, representing a socio-institutional assessment framework. The framework can help policymakers and the community to analyze various socio-institutional control levers to reduce the risk of groundwater contamination by OSS in informal settlements
The Law of Oil and Gas in Uganda
Full text linkThe nature of oil and gas is one that is wide. As an industry, it covers very many areas of the economy and the social structure. It is concerned with the community; the people who are affected by the work it does. This is because the industry must acquire land or work side by side with the communities in order to extract oil. In this process, the industry must be careful to establish a working relationship between themselves and the communities concerned.
The oil and gas industry also concerns the environment and its sustainability. This paper found that the work carried out by the oil and gas sector has a direct impact on the well-being of the environment. Poor working mechanisms could potentially harm the environment. The industry can pollute air, land and water bodies thereby choking the surrounding environments of their existence and well-being. The industry is also concerned with the welfare of its own workers. It must be able to respect and uphold their health and safety while at work or risk facing court cases that will usually require compensation.
The Oil and Gas sector is comprised of numerous contracts that must exist to set the project into action. These contracts are principally between the IOC and the state that owns the resource. They can also be contracts between the IOCs and different subsidiary companies whose role is to carry out certain activities that the IOC could not carry out on its own.
The oil and gas mining is a venture that takes up a long amount of time. The bringing of oil to fruition can take years of hard work and as such, there is an investment that must be made at the early stages. This investment can only be regained at the end of the exhaustion of the project. This is why the sector is very sensitive to changes in laws and taxation regimes as we know them. If these changes occur to the sector without rightful insurance, it becomes difficult to see the possibility of reaping from the sector.
The exploitation of Oil and Gas has extensive bearings upon the Communities where the oil is situated. The settlers in the Albertine region have so far been affected by the exploration stages of production. Some have been asked to relocate, with or without compensation. Some have been resettled to other parts in the country for purposes of exploration. This is because of the effects the processes of the mining could potentially have on their health and the environment at large.
The environment and climate are usually not spared in this too and as such, many measures must be put in place to preserve the environment as much as is possible during these processes of exploitation of the resource. These measures include the passing or updating of laws concerned with environmental management, and ratifying of international instruments that protect the same.
Also, the production of Oil undergoes different stages of production. The Upstream which entails the exploration and drilling of the oil; midstream which is concerned with transportation of this oil to refineries for purifying; and then downstream which is concerned with the marketing and sale of the product. All these processes will in essence require a lot of contracts with many different organisations and many subcontracts as well. Some are straight up necessary; others are required by the law.
All these factors; numerous contracts, upfront investment, long life span, sensitivity to change in laws and tax regimes, climate and community impact and different stages of production; increase the chances of disputes arising. Indeed, any of the mentioned factors has led to disputes that have required settlement.
Oil exploration started way back in the early 347 AD in China. In East Africa, oil exploration started in the early 1930s by the British colonialists. The discovery of oil in South Sudan, in 1987 brought many prospects of oil discoveries in East Africa. 2006 massive oil reserves were discovered on the Ugandan shores of Lake Albert. However, the discovery of oil in Uganda is traceable far back before independence. Oil exploration activities were started in the 1920s by W.J. Wayland, a Colonial Government Geologist of the British Protectorate. The first well was drilled at a place called Butiaba-Waki in 1938.
However, the activities did not solemnize due to the outbreak of the Second World War in the 1940s and the political instabilities of in the 1960s -1970s. These activities were resumed in 1983, leading to confirmation of the presence of oil in reasonable commercial reserves. The first recoverable oil discovery was made in 2006 by Hardman Petroleum and Energy Africa (now Tullow Oil) in Mputa-1 well Kaiso-Tonya. This brings the total discoveries of oil in Uganda to 21 to date.
Oil and Gas Exploration in Uganda is currently taking place in the Albertine Graben region. This is part of the East African Rift System and runs along Uganda’s western border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It is 500 km long and estimated to be 45 km in width.
Amount of oil estimated to have been discovered is 6.5billion barrels. (I barrel is equivalent to 159 liters). Out of which 1.4 billion barrels is estimated as recoverable. The area explored presently represents less than 40% of the total area with the potential for petroleum production in the Albertine Graben and only 12% is licensed. There is therefore potential for additional petroleum resources to be discovered in the country when additional exploration is undertaken.
It is important to note that not all that oil will be discovered. Globally, an average of 20%-30% of oil in place recovered economically using the available technologies
Demystifying the Order from Above: Uganda versus the Attorney General, when the forces exceed their constitutional mandate
Full text linkThe law of criminal procedure lays down the machinery by which suspects are brought to court, tried and if found guilty, punished. Criminal procedure can also be defined as the means by which criminal law is enforced and involves the balancing of the liberty of the citizen against the interests of the community as a whole. The scope of criminal procedure extends over a wide perimeter from prevention and investigation of crime to prosecution and punishment of the offender. As far as human rights are concerned, every Ugandan citizen has a right to liberty. This presupposes that the freedom enjoyed by the citizens can only be limited according to the provisions of the law and anything done without heeding the same is said to be arbitrary.
The Uganda Police Force is mandated under Section 4 of the Police Act to; protect the life, property and other rights of the individual, maintain security within Uganda, enforce the law, ensure public safety and order and detect and prevent crime in the society. In order to fulfill this mandate the Police is legally empowered to conduct arrests, searches and institute criminal proceedings. However, the in manner in which the Police has conducted numerous arrests over time, has left many Ugandans sceptical as to whether the Police is indeed a custodian of law and order. Many have witnessed brutal arrests of politicians, on television and in newspapers over time and even more recently when Police was dispersing people from political consultative sessions of presidential opposition candidates like Amama Mbabazi and Kiiza Besigye. The question that continues to linger is how should these arrests be conducted under the law? Benjamin Odoki, in his book, Justice: A Guide to Criminal Procedure in Uganda, 1990, analyses the aspect of arrests by the government. It discusses the procedure of an arrest as enshrined in the laws of Uganda, the rights of an accused person, a suspect and even a convict.
The book, in principle, analyses the time before an arrest is carried out; the time and manner of the arrest; and the events that follow the arrest. The book discusses the Miranda rule that guarantees that persons detained by police will not be interrogated in a way that places them at a disadvantage. The book also explores the aspect of searches on people’s property; how and when these searches should be conducted in accordance with the law.
The book demystifies the highly volatile discussion of use of reasonable force while carrying out arrests. It lays out the threshold of what amounts to reasonable force and envisages circumstances where force is necessary to effect and arrest. The book also sheds light on the fundamental presumption of innocence and how this presumption should ordinarily be treated. Consequently, the book highlights the abuses that have and can be occasioned following the disregard or misunderstanding of this notion. The book reviews the principle of preventive arrest in light of human rights and its use as a tool of oppression.
The book also labours to demystify the difference between the different armed groups in the country. It majorly indicates the difference between the police and the army and how their roles are different. It postulates the instances where this thin line of difference has been overstepped by either group and how catastrophic this action has proven to be overtime. It elaborates on the Posse Comitatus principle that argues against any military intrusion into civilian affairs. The book also tries to put into perspective the different groups being formed and revived in the country in the guise of maintaining law, peace and order. These groups include the Local Defence Units, Crime preventers and the like.
The book attempts to place them under the different laws promulgated for the governance
of the people of Uganda.
The book also concerns itself with the aspect of obtaining confessions and admissions
from arrested persons for purposes of presenting the same as evidence before courts of
law. There have been instances where arrested persons have been coerced into confessions which have led to false imprisonments. The book also discusses aspects of finding no case against arrested people and the notion of nolle proseque; and the aspect of compensation for the people that have been falsely convicted or wrongfully arrested.
The book discusses the issue of liability for police brutality. It discusses the vicarious
liability of the Government in civil proceedings as master and employer of police officers
for acts of police officers done within the course of duty. The book also considers personal
liability of Police officers for their reckless acts in law enforcement and the possibility of
the Police opening up investigations and commencing criminal proceedings against its
officers. As a bonus, the book briefly discusses part of civil law that is relevant to the issues
enunciated above
Household-level Fluoride reduction from drinking water using crushed fired clay – proof of concept
Full text linkThis is a research article on Residents of Bunyangabu District in Uganda have reportedly suffered from cases of dental fluorosis due to consumption of water with high levels of Fluoride from Ntabago StreamResidents of Bunyangabu District in Uganda have reportedly suffered from cases of dental fluorosis due to consumption of water with high levels of Fluoride from Ntabago Stream. A household-level sand filter incorporating crushed fired clay as an adsorbent was designed for a household to reduce the Fluoride concentration in their drinking water from the natural raw water levels (2-3 mgF/L) to permissible, healthy levels (0.5-1.0 mg/L). Pieces of fired clay bricks were crushed, and particles of 150 μm to 300 μm in size were selectively obtained by sieving. Stream water was filtered through replicate model layered filter columns of the prepared clay, sand (fine sand of 150 μm-2 mm; coarse sand of 2-5 mm), and gravel (6-15 mm). It was found out that fired clay layers of 2.5 and 5 cm thick reduce the concentration of Fluoride in water by up to 74%, to less than 1.0 mg/L. This was deduced by evaluating Fluoride concentration in both the clay and water before and after filtration, using the SPADNS Colorimetric method. Use of crushed fired clay for reduction in Fluoride concentration in drinking water is the focus of this paper. Additional work will optimise filter design to improve overall water quality
Farmer preferred traits and genotype choices in Solanum aethiopicum L., Shum group
Full text linkResearch articleBackground: Solanum aethiopicum L. is a nutrient dense African indigenous vegetable. However, advancement of its improved varieties that can increase productivity, household income, and food security has not been prioritized.
Further still, studies on some of the crops that have been worked have indicated that it is not a guarantee that the improved varieties will be accepted by the end users and therefore there is need to identify and profile what genotypes are of interest to farmers and their preferred traits through inclusive participatory evaluations.
Methodology: Farmer participatory evaluations were conducted to profile farmers’ traits of interest and preferred genotypes. A total of 24 genotypes were established in three replications in 6 farms in 3 districts; Wakiso, Mukono, and Luwero as these are the major producing districts of the vegetable in Uganda. A total of 177 sex-disaggregated farmers were engaged in scoring the genotypes for pest, disease and drought tolerance, general appeal, leaf yield, leaf texture, and seed yield for best 10 genotypes under each variable.
Results: Non-significant differences in trait (p > 0.05) and genotype preferences (p > 0.05) were obtained between men and women. The most desired farmer traits were seed and leaf yield, followed by pest and disease resistance.
The overall preferred genotype in terms of disease and pest resistance, leaf yield, leaf texture, and seed yield were E12 followed by E11.
Conclusion: Gender does not seem to influence farmer choices for the S. aethiopicum, Shum group, indicating an opportunity for single variety prototype advancement by breeders and dissemination by seed companies
Understanding ICT adoption amongst SMEs in Uganda: Towards a participatory design model to enhance technology diffusion
Full text linkPolicy statements by the United Nations, the African Union and most African countries boldly pronounce on the anticipated benefits of the internetworked world and associated ICT to society in general and to the world of business specifically. In terms of the latter, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are recognized as being critical to the growth of developing economies. There is consensus that this sector has considerable potential for improved business outcomes through the harnessing of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). However, a problem of low adoption of ICT in this sector still prevails in Africa and there is a gap in our understanding of the reasons for this. In light of this problem, this paper reports on a survey of Ugandan SME owners in which their ICT pre-usage beliefs and attitudes are explored. The study identified four pre-use factors that are correlated with ICT use. The pre-usage beliefs which significantly influence decisions to adopt and use ICT include Benefit expectation, ICT learnability, User-confidence, and User-friendliness. These are found to be key determinants of ICT adoption. ICT support and ease-of-use on the other hand were factors that did not correlate with decisions to use ICT. However, it is found that there is a low predictive capability (17.7%) of pre-usage beliefs and attitudes in respect of prior use or non-use of ICT among SMEs. As such, this study found that other contextual factors constitute a greater (82.3%) predictive percentage. In light of this, the paper concludes by recommending an ICT participatory design process to mitigate ICT pre-use scepticism among SMEs owners
Competitive Strategies and Life Insurance Uptake in Uganda: A Case Study of Kampala Central Business District
Full text linkThe study examined the effect of competitive strategies on life insurance uptake in Uganda using Kampala Central Business District as a case study. The specific objectives of the study included to: establish the extent to which differentiation strategy affects life insurance uptake in Uganda; assess how cost leadership strategy affects life insurance uptake in Uganda; and examine the extent to which distribution channel affects life insurance uptake in Uganda. A cross – sectional research design was used with a mixed research approach employing both qualitative and quantitative approaches. A sample size of 306 respondents was selected from a study population of 1500 using of Krejcie & Morgan’s table. Descriptive analysis was used where frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation were used. In addition, Pearson’s correlation and regression analysis were used to analyse the relationship between competitive strategies and life insurance uptake, and to determine the most significant predicator variable among the independent variables respectively. A pre-test was done and all variables had an alpha value greater than 0.70 thus, considered reliable for the study. The study revealed a significant positive relationship between differentiation strategy and life insurance uptake at Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r = 0.291, N=181, P =0.000). The study also established a significant positive relationship between cost leadership strategy and life insurance uptake (r =0.169, N=181, p=0.023). It was also established that there exists a significant positive relationship between distribution channel and life insurance uptake at Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r = 0.241, N=181, p=0.001). The R square was 0.12 indicating that differentiation strategy, cost leadership strategy and distribution channels explain 12.0% of the life insurance uptake. The researcher concluded that differentiation strategy, cost leadership strategy and distribution channel strategy have a significant positive effect on life insurance uptake. The researcher recommended that there should be more differentiation of life insurance products and services offering, as this will enable companies experience growth in the areas of premium volumes, market share, and profitability levels. The researcher also recommended that the cost of life insurance premiums should be further reduced to allow even low income earners afford life insurance policies. Finally, the researcher recommended that there should be streamlined product distribution channels such that customers are able to receive reliable and accessible products/services at very competitive prices
Corporate Governance and Firm’s Financial Performance amongst Private Business Enterprises in Uganda, a Perspective from Lira City
Full text linkThe study examined the effect of corporate governance on firm’s financial performance amongst private business enterprises in Uganda. The study used descriptive and survey design. A mixed method approach which involved both qualitative and quantitative techniques were also used. The study found out that corporate governance significantly influences the financial performance of hotels and manufacturing firms in Lira City and majority of the firms investigated performed on average financially. It was also established that firms whose boards demonstrate high integrity were likely to register positive changes in their financial performance than firms whose boards do not. The study also noted that board independence would propel the firm to grow to greater heights. The study recommends that hotel and manufacturing firm owners should exercise some discipline and leave boards to operate independently. This would allow the board to remain focused on the long-term goals of the firm. The hotel and manufacturing firm owners should be cautious in selecting board members lest they attract many that would increase the firm’s liabilities