Uganda Tours, Uganda Safaris, Gorilla Safari News , Uganda Travel & safari

BUJAGALI Energy has given a $3.8m (about sh6.1b) engineering contract to a US-based firm, MWH.

MWH, a global provider of environmental engineering, strategic consultation and construction management services, will provide engineering services for the 250MW Bujagali hydro-power project.

Bujagali Energy is a joint business enterprise between Industrial Promotion Services of Kenya and US power giant, Sithe Global Power.

The project, which is expected to cost $682m (sh1,098b), started in August 2007 and is scheduled to be completed in 2011.

Once online, the plant is projected to double the nation’s energy capacity and give the much-needed power that will ease economic growth.

MWH also made a request for qualifications and tender documents for selecting a project delivery contractor on an engineer, procure and construct basis.

The project is on the Victoria Nile River, about 8km downstream of the Owen Falls dam hydropower project. The facility will supply power from a native and renewable resource.

Innitially , when the issue of constructing a dam at Bujagali falls was brought up, many people thought it would distruct white water rafting one of the tourism highlights in Uganda and Jinja as a tourism site. However, most of the white water rafting companies have confirmed that the tourism activity will continue even after the construction of the dam.

Uganda Tours News

Tanah

The Uganda wildlife centre (UWEC) is stuck with a whooping US$ 1562500 million which it cannot put into use to develop the centre. While appearing before the parliamentary Sessional common tourism, trade and industry to review their performance over the past year 2007, UWEC’s management said that because of its quasi status as a government‘s approval.
Dr . Richard Okwir , a member UWEC board of Director committee told members of parliament that though they wish to partner with some other companies to use the funds to develop the centre, this is not possible as they are just a government trustee.

He said the money accumulated from proceed of the shares they have in the new vision , standbic and NSSF, generates over USD$ 125,000(USH 200 millions) each year.

Transformed in 1994 from the then Entebbe Zoo opened in 1952, UWEC is used as Uganda’s conservation and education centre for both the flora and fauna species especially those that face extinction. However, the paradox of the theme is that though the centre has all these funds stored away in the banks, it is complaining of gross under funding by government especially its development budget.

He added that was it not for Volunteers who highly subsidize their running costs, it would be an up –hill task for them to operate normally . He said that because of this, they are curtailed from doing out reaches to educate Ugandans about wildlife Conservation issues.

He added that were these out reaches carried out , encroachments of gazettes like national parks, wetlands and depletion of some plants etc would be minimal.

The legislators promised to support the BODS bid to become an independent body.

Mr Angino Gutumoi said that UWEC’s Status has risen as this would give it more opportunities. He added that they are prepared to support the bid so that UWEC can fully exploit its potential.

He said that UWEC’s Casual relationship with the government would not take them far so It would better set off for it is improper for UWEC to keep begging yet they can stand on their own..

As a government trustee, UWEC has no legal mandate to make it’s own decisions with government’s approval.

BY Tanah Hadijah
Uganda Safari News

Mr Raymond E Kendall the man who kept Sir Edward Mutesa in England while he was in exile and his son Kabaka Ronald Muwenda mutebi the now ruling Kabaka of Buganda is again in Uganda on a red cross mission. Raymond checked in on the 2nd of July and he was welcomed by Receptionists at the imperial resort beach hotel.

When he was met by Abacus African Vacations Tours manager Ms Tanah Hadijah at The Imperial resort beach hotel in Entebbe, he applauded on how beautiful Uganda is and said it is the reason why he brought his son to Uganda to tour around the place where he stayed in the 1950s. His son and the wife are now on a 10 days Uganda highlights tour with Abacus African Vacations . They will be touring Murchison falls National park, Kibale NP, Queen Elizabeth Np, Bwindi for Gorilla Tracking and L. Bunyonyi in Kabale.

He promised to meet the now reigning Kabaka of Buganda on a special visit before he leaves the Country.

He demeaned the policies of some western countries of putting a red alert on Uganda claiming that it is insecure and stopping their citizens to Visit Uganda yet the country is safe. He urged Abacus African Vacations to get a tourist supplier in England saying that many people would love to travel to the country but because they are afraid of internet scam, they find it hard to book tours using the internet

Mr Raymond Kendall is remembered in the history of Buganda Kingdom for having safe guarded the late Kabaka Edward Mutesa while in Exile and is now the Secretary-General, ICPO-Interpol

By Tanah Hadijah
Uganda Tour News

Labours to discover oil in Uganda have gained impetus following the detection of a carbondioxide-free oil well at Mputa II, Kaiso-Tonya on Lake Albert by Hardman Oil and Gas Company, a Ministry of Energy official has said.

The pertinent tests on the oil were conducted last Saturday. The oil is now at appraisal level to assess its environmental impact, establish its flow in the reservoir and pipeline construction and storage.

Ernest Rubondo, the assistant commissioner in charge of petroleum in the Ministry of Energy, exposed that the oil contains hydro-carbons that certify its purity as the standard commercial fuel.

Rubondo was addressing an energy stakeholders’ forum at Grand Imperial Hotel in Kampala on Thursday.

He commented that the local petroleum sector is promising despite the international crisis. All indicators show that there is a chance to get commercial wells in plenty and this is encouraging.

He added that many oil wells were discovered in the Lake Albert region but they contained carbon-dioxide, which is a negative element in petroleum exploration.

He did not specify the exact time-frame when drilling starts, saying, “it is a transitory process but on fast track.”

He named Waraga I, Turaco I, Turaco II, Turaco III, Mputa I and Mputa II as the current oil exploration sites. Rubondo also said Neptune, Heritage, Energy Africa and Hardman were the firms licensed to drill and explore the oil. He explained that another well, Turaco III, was at appraisal level and the Government had injected $200,000 in surveying and mapping potential oil fields.

He said drilling firms would require between US$3m and $8m to install oil facilities and begin production. He said Uganda spent $250m on petroleum products last year and the consumption rate was increasing at 6% per day. A barrel of oil is currently about $72m.

Uganda tourism packages have been at a higher rate than her other competitors in East Africa because of the fact transportation to the destinations is high due to the high costs attached to fuel. Many tourists have been foregoing Uganda as a tourists’ destination because of the high costs attached to its tourism packages which is as a result of high fuels costs. Once Uganda gets an Oil firm, it will be able to market its tourism destinations at a competitive rate.

By TANAH

Conservation experts have said that ten baby chimpanzees have been confiscated from smugglers during the last two years. Lilian Ajarova, the executive director of the Chimpanzee sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation trust based on Ngamba Island and said that chimpanzee traffickers had resumed their dangerous trade. She added that they had two silent years of no chimp confiscation and now they have 10 chimps recovered from suspected smugglers in the last two years. Speaking at the workshop organized at Ngamba Island to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Island, which is a sanctuary for orphaned Chimps. At the same ceremony, Jane Goodall, an international renowned Chimpanzee conservationist. Launched a five year strategic plan for the sanctuary . Dr. Seguya , the head of the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, said the expansive farming is the largest threat to chimps.

He Also noted that chimps live in protective groups and for a baby to be taken away from the group, poachers must have killed all the group members. He pointed out a case in which four chimps disappeared from Kibaale national park.

Chimpanzees are one of the endangered primates species according to the red delta list of the world conservation union meaning that they would disappear soon if nothing is done to protect them from poachers and distruction of habitats.The majority can be found in Kibale national park with some in Queen Elizabeth national park’ s Kyambura gorge or even Murchison falls Np’s kaniyo Pabidi Forest. Ngamba Island together with the CSWT(Chimpanzee sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation trust) have done a great role in conserving Chimpanzee a measure that will help secure some.

By Tanah Hadijah
UGANDA SAFARI NEWS