Nine miles along Mityana Road is suburban town of Bulaga Bulenga. The area is densely populated with most of the households sharing almost everything.
Just after the market on your right hand side as you drive towards Mityana is a huge signpost of Joggies Recreation Centre. Next to it is another signpost of the Rotary club of Buloba pointing at the direction of Joggies Recreation Centre which is the home of this Rotary club.
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| Rtn. Dr. Louis Kasekende Installing President Stephen Mukwaya |
It is at this place that the Rotary club of Buloba fellowships every Tuesday evening. As you slope down you notice the neighboring households with signs of abject poverty. This is the right place for a community based Rotary club to fellowship in and thus help the communities around to see the impact of rotary if for instance they hold a rotary day by cleaning Bulaga township and even giving those people some public health talk. The impact would greatly be felt in the area.
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| Joggies Recreation centre |
As you enter Joggies Recreation, the atmosphere changes completely as you see the beautiful gardens, well tended lawns and some semblance of paradise. As you walk through the walkways under tree canopies with artistic sculptures made by the proprietor Joseph Ssali Ssalongo who is also a member of the Rotary club of Buloba, you tend to forget what you saw outside the gate. Here you face nature as the birds sing in their melodious voices, you just thank God for the gift of nature.
Down in the valley is a made lake named Nalongo Lake. You are free to sit by the lake side and enjoy the breeze or you can pay some money to sail in a dugout canoe. The experience you'll get here is for you alone to tell a story after the visit. It is actually a place for one to have a retreat after a heavy day's work. That place is highly ideal for romantic outings. There are also cottages for those who want to spend nights outside the city.
3RD PESIDENTIAL INSTALLATION AND CHARTER NIGHT.
I HAD diverted a bit but my main purpose of this story was about the installation of the third president of the Rotary club of Buloba Stephen Mukwaya.
Unlike many installations held in hotel rooms, and gardens, this one was different and unique as it was held by the lakeside.
The atmosphere was romantic and sound of the bakisimba drums gave it the true meaning of the community based rotary club. As the DJ of the day played music that reverberated from the good music system provided by Joggies you would think that you were somewhere in Miami near the beach.
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| Tents by the lake side |
Like the time manager I am, I happened to arrive at the venue 30minutes before arrival time. Indefinitely found the organisers still making final touches. An hour later I decided to go and register my presence. I was ushered in by the outgoing president a senior Prisons officer in the Uganda Government Prisons Service. He is such a jolly person and thanked me for being the first guest to arrive.
As I read through the Buloba Rotarian Magazine, other guests started flocking in one by one. In the background you could listen to some soft music. I then overheard one of the organisers telling her fellow members that the guest of honour had artived an hour back but the place was still empty with very few guests. Another one chipped in saying that mist of the invited Rotarians were coming from another installation in Mityana and that might have been the cause of the delay.
Two hours later, a traditonal dancing troupe arrived and started performing for close to thirty minutes until they were called to go and usher in the guest of honour. At 6:30pm, the guest of honour Rtn. Dr. Louis Kasekende a Rotarian of the Rotary club of Kampala North together with his wife a mber of the Rotary club of Bukoto arrived and the function begun.
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| Traditional dancers that spiced up the ocassion |
The MC of the day Rtn. Kaitarama of RC Makindye ensured that guests were not bored at all as he spiced the function with funny jokes.
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| IPP Samuel Mukasa |
As the outgoing president made an account of his mission green year, people listened carefully and you could see on his face that he was satisified that he had actually accomplished a task given to him a year back. During this year, RC Buloba had been able to scoope a prestigious District 9211 Most Gender Balanced Rotary Club of the year 2017/18. "We have recruited 19 new Rotarians making our diversity both in classifications and gender more or less to balance. I wish to recognize the overwhelming support by our AG Emmy Kwesiga. He has been very patient and has guided me tremendously. He has attended some of our club fellowships and retreats in the year and also been with us in the some Board meetings." he noted.
The Deputy Governor of Bank of Uganda, Dr Louis Kasekende, has urged Rotarians to equip youth with vocational skills in order to improve their incomes. He went on to say that almost 78% of Uganda’s population is below 30 years of age. About 90% of the youth are in the informal sector and, of that, 60% are in agriculture. “Failure to equip the youth, especially graduates, with skills,” Kasekende said, “the people who are financially stable cannot enjoy their sleep if the unemployed and the underprivileged youth forcefully seek their share at night.”
He asked Rotarians to voluntarily commit themselves to serve and support the youth. He said the role of Rotary is
to partner with the Government to address the inequalities in societies and also to seek a shared prosperity. “Let us improve productivityby focusing on the welfare of Ugandans. Let us invest in health, education, skilling and mentoring the youth to become good entrepreneurs,” Kasekende advised.
He promised that as Bank of Uganda, they will be able to donate 3million shillings towards a project that will be geared at improving the livelihoods of the youths in Buloba area.
The outgoing Past Assistant Governor Emmy Kwesiga congratulated Mission Green President Sam Mukasa and his board for pulling through the year and the very many great achievements recorded especially in membership growth, Foundation giving, Mission Green initiative and Public Relations through participation. "You ably exhibited your unwavering capacity as a great leader and you were indeed a super Mission green President." he said.
On his part, President Stephen Mukwaya thanked Dr. Kasekende for gracing the occassion and promised to focus on Increase on relevant Membership classifications minimum 10 members by the end of Rotary year. Implore members to Increase TRF giving by at least $4000 by the end of Rotary Year .
He said that he has plans of ensuring that the club brings on board at least two Corporate Organizations (KS TV) and 1 Potential Local partnership in delivering services to disadvantaged communities. He thanked the guest of Honor, Rtn. Dr. Louis Kasekende and other District and Country officials for gracing this occasion and sparing their precious time to be at the 3rd Installation of the President of the Rotary Club of Buloba.
He also thanked Rotarians, Non- Rotarians who stood with him to raise $12000 to take his daughter Divine Grace Namukwaya to India for stem Cell therapy treatment. He said that the daughter was currently responding to medication well.
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| President Stephen introducing his Board of Directors |
He then presented his cabinet of the Board of Directors for the Rotary Year 2018/19.
The function was well attended by a number of rotarians, it was sort of a mini district conference because almost all clubs in an around Kampala were represented. The District Governor Elect Xavier Ssentamu and other country officials attended in huge numbers.
After a sumptous meal, the rotarians led by the new president danced till the wee hours. This was an installation to remember.
When he came out he was now clad in a black double breast blazer and a white kanzu (tunic). Then a Church service that was ecumenical in nature started led by the Bishop of Namirembe Rt. Rev. Misaeri Kauma and the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Uganda the Most. Rev. Yona Okoth together with other Bishops of the Church of Uganda, the Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Church and Seventhday Adventist Church.
After the prayers the Legal team led by Owek. John Katende, Owek. Godfrey Lule and Owek. Charles Peter Mayiga led the swearing in ceremony.
