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Sheebah and Golola head east
Jinja, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Top Ugandan musician Sheebah Karungi, kickboxer Moses Golola and other celebrities have joined a team of 300 Ugandans from the central part of Uganda (Kampala) to run different activities for the domestic tourism campaign for the Elgon Region.
Flagged off at the Uganda Museum in Kampala on Dec.21 by Martin Mugarra Bahinduka, the state minister for Tourism Wildlife & Antiquities, the #ExploreElgon campaign aims at highlighting the hidden treasures, tourism attractions, sites and activities within and around the Elgon Region.
It is also aimed at demonstrating to the rest of the citizens that domestic tourism is critical for supporting the overall growth of the sector.
A convoy of vehicles transporting the tourists, made a first stop over at Namawojjolo, which is about 35kilometers out of Kampala city, to allow tourists interact with the locals of the area but also support their small businesses by buying snacks and other locally prepared foods or what is popularly termed as ‘muchomo’.
The next stop was at the Jinja Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge across the Victoria Nile — commissioned in 2018, to allow the team interact and take pictures of the beautiful area.
At the bridge, the visiting team was warmly welcomed by Uganda Tourism Board Chairman Hon. Daudi Migereko who applauded the visitors for supporting the efforts geared towards supporting domestic tourism.
“This tour means that no one should remain at home during this festive season,” he told The Independent on the sidelines of the brief stop-over.
He said, Eastern Uganda, like many other parts of the country is gifted with different tourist attractions and that means citizens should pick interest in getting out of their comfort homes to visit and experience Uganda, their home.
Day two of the tour (Dec.21) will involve activities like tree planting and Zebra crossing painting along Mbale City Main Street; the Wanale Hill Challenge; a concert involving top entertainers and official opening of a hotel facility in Mbale city.
The third day (Dec.22) will see the team set off from Mbale city to Kapachorwa town (a journey of about 67KM) for the Sipi experience (hiking the three falls, abseiling and caving). The last day (Dec.23) of the trip will see the visitors visit Mt. Elgon Culture and History Museum and Semei Kakungulu Historical site before setting off back to Kampala.
Mugarra (tourism minister) said, “To us this is an important activity as we end the year of 2022 through which we hope to promote the sector by showcasing the beauty of the Elgon region. We shall organize more of these campaigns come next year in other regions of the country.”
Can't wait to hear the stories of these 4 as we tour the Elgon region today till Friday… 😀 @Ksheebah1, @chikoandmadrat and @moses_golola #ExploreElgon pic.twitter.com/WLGvsmmsmq
— Derrick (@kabderrick) December 20, 2022
Lily Ajarova, the chief executive officer of Uganda Tourism Board welcomed the support from the ministry of tourism, the lead organizer of the #ExploreElgon campaign, saying such activities are critical in contributing to the growth of the sector.
“As UTB we are happy to see all of you here ready to take part in the Explore Elgon campaign and are hopeful that the rest of Ugandans will pick interest in similar activities in the future,” she said before the team set off from Kampala yesterday.
Amos Wekesa, proprietor and managing director of Great Lakes Safaris Limited, journalists, bloggers, social media influencers, comedians, and students are among the other participants for the campaign.
