LIVE UPDATES: 2012 Uganda Jubilee celebrations

EAT: 3:50: Heads of state and delegates leave the venue in no particular order. President Museveni sends them off.

EAT: 3:47: Brass band performs the National Anthem as the celebrations come to the end

EAT: 3:03: Despite a drizzle, Alex Mukulu, a re-known performing artist entertains guests. His performance is a reflection of Uganda’s cultural diversity

EAT: 2:45: Egyptian choir is invited to the stage to present their song in the spirit of Pan Africanism
EAT: 2:38: President Museveni winds up the brief speech and walks to the VIP tent.
EAT: 2:30: Uganda will be a first-world country in the next 50 years. It is possible. We are working to transform Uganda by relying on agriculture, manufacturing, human resource, tourism, service industry etc. The discovery of oil and gas we will make this happen.
We have achieved a lot and our plan to do better is unshakable

EAT: 2:25: We have negotiated for market access at zero tarrif with USA, UK, Japan, India, Japan etc. We are now concentrating on ensuring that we don’t export unprocessed coffee. By exporting roasted and packed coffee, a kilogramme can fetch atleast $15 dollar compared to $1 that is got from selling unprocessed coffee.

The development of human resource is also developing. We have funded the production of a vehicle by our scientists at Makerere University. We aim at producing similar car for commercial purposes.

The banana experiment in Bushenyi is also in progress to ensure better production per hectare.

With oil and gas, we shall be able to fund infrastructure projects like roads, electricity and research.

If you don’t have investors, local or foreign, who will sustain your growth and development?

My advice to Ugandans is that we need investor and consumer because they are more crucial.

EAT: 2:25: He elaborates the bottlenecks to development like ideological disorientation that emphasizes tribalism among Ugandans, illiterate army leadership, failure by the state to support private sector, unskilled human resource, inadequate development of infrastructure like roads, railway, electricity; small internal markets, lack of industrialization, underdeveloped service sector, under developed agriculture with few engaged in commercial agriculture, the culture that lacked democracy. All the ten bottlenecks are being solved now.

EAT: 2:20: President Museveni delivers the independence jubilee speech. He introduces all the visiting heads of state and other delegations from across the globe.

EAT: 12:30: Judy Jacobs, an internationally acclaimed gospel singer sings the “Days of Elijah” jubilee song as hundreds of people wave and dance in the pavilion

EAT: 12:13: Anglican Archbishop Luke Orombi leads prayers to request God to bless the function. He castigates rampant unemployment, corruption, political mismanagement, poverty among other problems. He is flanked by the Mufti of Uganda Sheikh Shaban Mubajje and Archbishop. Archbishop Orombi is however optimistic that God can guide Ugandans to overcome the current problems and regain its position as a pearl of Uganda through forgiveness, justice, security, progress and love for one another.

EAT: 12:21 Mufti Shaban Mubajje’s turn. He also asks God to help Uganda overcome corruption, embezzlement, murder, ignorance, poverty and kinds of economic plunder. He asks God to give President Museveni wisdom to lead the country to prosperity

EAT: 11:46: President Museveni inspects guard of honour. He is accompanied by chief of Defence Forces Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, the Commissioner General of Prisons Dr Johnson Byabashaija and the Inspector General of Police, Lt. Gen. Kale Kayihura

EAT: 11:29: President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe joins the VIP tent.
EAT: 11:28: Delegation from Ethiopia arrives
EAT: 11: 25: Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki comes to the venue
EAT: 11:24: President Museveni moves to the VIP tent where he greets various presidents and other dignitaries
EAT: 11:20: The brass band sings the National Anthem
EAT: 11:15: The host, President Yoweri Museveni and wife Janet, arrive at the venue

EAT: 11:06: The host, President Yoweri Museveni and wife Janet, arrive at the venue

EAT: 11:06: President Paul Kagame of Rwanda arrives

EAT: 10:31: Vice President of Tanzania arrives

EAT: 10:30: Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Sekand arrives

EAT: 10:28: Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga walks to the guests’ pavilion

EAT: 10:21: Kampala City Council Executive Director Jeniffer Musisi is the celebrations

EAT: 10:15: Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi and wife arrive

EAT: 9:59: Pastor Wilson Bugembe entertains guests with his biribabitya hit

EAT: 9:56: Former Prime M inister Prof. Apollo Nsibambi is at the celebrations

EAT: 9:51: Kampala archbishop, Dr Cyprian Kizito Lwanga and and the head of the Anglican Church Luke Orombi are attending.

EAT: 9:30: A combined brass band of police, UPDF and Prison dressed in golden jubilee garb entertain guests by marching.

EAT: 9:28: Members of Parliament, ambassadors arrive.

EAT: 9:24: More and more Ugandans from all walks of life stream. The pavilion at the Kololo the revamped and dazzling grounds is almost full to capacity.

EAT: 9:16: Buganda’s Katikkiro John Bosco Walusimbi arrives
EAT: 9:15: Veteran politician Kintu Musoke takes his seat
EAT: 8:54: Various cultural dancers entertain guests in intervals

EAT: 8:54: Uganda at 50 celebrations start at Kololo. Guests stream in. Some traditional leaders clad in their regalia. It’s a jovial mood as guests great each other.