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Here’s What You Should Know Before Thrill Seeking

By
Mikey Makukuba
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0

Deep down most people love living for the thrill, from childhood the ideas of jumping into lakes from cliffs to swinging on tree branches. We all love the feeling that comes with thrills, the only difference is some people are more daring than others.

Thrill seekers are people who are eager to take part in exciting activities that involve physical risk. They are always aware of the underlying dangers of the activities they will undertake but they will do it anyway. But before you throw care to the wind and embrace danger, here are some of the things you should know or do.

What Are Your Limits?

Not everyone can handle some activities and just because everyone is doing something does not mean you have to do it too. Everyone’s body has a level of pain and what it can handle so before you do something, understand your body. Understand how flexible you are to swing on cliffs, how strong your limbs are for mountain climb and if your chest can handle high altitudes. Go for checkups.

Where Are You Going?

For every location you pick, you should tailor it to your body and by this it means you pick a challenge you can handle. If you are a good swimmer, you can choose extreme kayaking or whitewater rafting, it would do you a big disservice to choose an activity that you are not well versed with. Location research helps you understand what regulations local authorities have on what activity you will be engaging just to be on the safe side of the law. Lastly, when you do research on your destinations it helps you plan properly especially with the budget and what equipment you will need.

Emergency Kits

Wherever you go, it is advisable for any traveller to have an emergency first aid kit with them especially when headed into remote areas where medical facilities are not easy to access. You can find an emergency kit in medical supply stores or camping gear stores.

Necessary Equipment

What trip are you planning to have? Where are you planning to go to? This helps get to know what equipment you will need for the trip. The equipment you will need for mountain climbing is different from that for sky diving. You would have to look for it from sporting equipment dealers or stores. To be on the safe side, make sure you look up everything you will need even the small things you think might not be that important.

Practice Makes Perfect

After purchasing your equipment, you need to get better at using it. Take it for test-runs to get familiar and make sure it works very well. If you have not been a regular mountain climber, try practicing on a small hilly place that is easy for you to scale and with something that can easily break your fall.

Professionals

People have been mountain climbing/ sky diving or any other thrilling adventure should be the first people you talk to before you do so.Their advice is most important since they know the thrills and dangers that come with that very activity.

Keep Fit

One thing about most thrill seekers is they are fit enough to undertake whatever activities they know will satisfy their urge for adventure. You can not do things that other people are scared of doing when you are not fit for it. Try taking your body through full body exercises depending on what you will be engaging in, so that it is ready for the strain that will be imposed on it later on.

Communicate

Always have your immediate family and friends informed about wherever you will be headed to no matter what time it is. Try investing in a satellite phone for locations that make communication difficult.  Incase of emergency, have your IDs and information cards for contacts who can be notified since accidents are very common during such activities.

Get Insurance

Having the right travel insurance is very important especially if you are frequent traveler. Choose your insurance provider carefully from the packages and what countries the covers are offered.

Please note that as much as thrilling seeking involves a lot adventure and fun, you are not advised to undertake such activities without professionals.

Why You Ought To Understand Yourself?

By
Mikey Makukuba
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0

No matter what your career stage is, it’s important to evaluate your personal goals, interpersonal skills, strengths, weaknesses and passions to keep your career development in line with your personality and interests.

Some workers, for example, primarily value their income potential, while others prioritize work-life balance. You must decide what is most important to you in your short- and long-term career development goals.

It’s important to understand yourself so you can find a career path that is rewarding and satisfying.

There are different ways to make sure you understand what motivates you. Personality tests, career centers, employers, teachers, friends and family can help you evaluate what jobs are well-suited to your personality, disposition, interests and long-term goals.

By focusing on what makes you feel happy and valued as a worker, you can find employment opportunities that are most satisfying. You can only develop a long, healthy and rewarding career if you understand what truly makes you tick.

Everyone has limitations, so understanding your specific qualifications, talents and academic background can help you find jobs that are within your level of expertise.

For example, some workers have the skills and knowledge to perform technical research, some have strong people skills and others have artistic talents.

Asking an artist to examine cells behind a microscope or expecting a people person to crunch numbers all day can result in unhappy, unsatisfying and unproductive workplace environments, even if salary levels and benefits packages look appealing.

Once you understand your qualifications and limitations, you’ll be able to pursue career options that fit with your skills and experiences.

Reality check: Self-awareness is an important part of career development because it forces you to look at yourself objectively and make changes or corrections.

Examining your strengths, weaknesses, accomplishments and failures can help you determine what works and what doesn’t in order for you to move forward with re-energized goals and fresh career objectives.

Getting the Best Price for Your Property

By
Mikey Makukuba
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0

As with most things in life you want to get the most out of it. So, how do you go about getting the best price possible when it comes to selling your house, property or land? What will attract the right buyers without you losing out on the deal and in as short a time as possible? Well all this should the economy be yielding.

  1. Do some market research. Get some insight on how the real estate market is looking at the moment. This will help you gauge your asking price. There are some firms that can be hired to value your estate for you if you’re not comfortable doing it yourself. It is always important to get the right price because you want to get the most of the property you’re letting go, possibly enough to move onto another property, but you don’t want to price too high which can be off-putting to your possible buyers. Besides the longer the property is on the market the more devalued it gets. Well, that’s unless there is no urgency to the sale.

  2. You could engage and hire someone to handle your property for you or if you have the right knowledge to make the decision, you could just use the Jumia House platform to get your property out there. Both are good options as they give you confidence that your property is going to get the right push to get it off the market.

  3. If you are selling a house, depersonalize it. Wipe it clean of anything that made it your home. House hunters want to create their own picture of what the place will be like for them. Depersonalizing it helps them along that journey and brings you closer to a possible buy.

  4. Make renovations. This will help to create an amazing first impression that will stay with any people who might come for a viewing. Now don’t go all out build a porch that wasn’t originally there. Let the upgrades not dig too much into your pocket as that will only increase your asking price which might not be in your best interest. So keep it light. Plaster any cracks in the wall. A new ‘clean’ coat of paint can go a long way. Clean up the lawn and garden if you have one. Little things that will make the place attractive to prospective buyers.

  5. There are always some things about the property that you can’t change though. You can’t change the location of the place. You bought the place hoping for some changes but that didn’t happen and the road leading to it is still a bumpy, narrow dirt road. Or there’s that neighbor who has refused to do anything with the land so you have a semi forest for a neighbor. Nothing you can do about that except marketing the place for it’s more attractive attributes. If it’s secluded talk about it being ‘calm and peaceful, away from the city’s hustle and bustle’. Play around with words to make it attractive.

These are just a few tips to help you get the best price out of your property.

Stanbic Bank to Payout UGX 60bn in Dividends to Shareholders

By
Mikey Makukuba
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0

Stanbic Bank shareholders approved a 60 billion shilling payout as dividends at their Annual General Meeting held on 10th May in Kampala. It represents a 50% increment from the UShs 40 billion paid in 2015 and is equivalent to UShs 1.17 dividend per share up from UShs 0.78 the previous year.

Opening the AGM with over 400 shareholders which was one of the best attended since the bank went public just over 11 years ago, the Board Chairman Japheth Katto said, “2016 was yet another profound year for Stanbic Bank where we continued to ensure the sustainable growth of the Bank and post impressive results despite the global and local economic headwinds. A central factor to our sustainability is our commitment to support and enable the transformation of the lives and businesses in the communities where we operate. To that end Stanbic invested more than 1.1 billion shillings on CSI initiatives in 2016 a 15% increment from 2015.”

He continued, “When arriving at the proposed pay-out figure of 60 Billion UGX the board took into account projected business growth and investment prospects and regulatory capital adequacy requirements. This is having considered the current and projected future financial position of the Bank and impact of stress testing of the capital adequacy position of the Bank to ensure there are no adverse effects on capital requirements over the foreseeable future.” The dividend was passed unanimously by all the members.

Presenting an overview of the operating environment and the banks key performance highlights Patrick Mweheire Stanbic Chief Executive revealed, “Our record profit after tax of UShs 191 billion was achieved despite the challenging market environment with rapidly deteriorating asset quality across the sector. Our 2016 revenue of UShs 643 billion was a balanced mix of net-interest income and non-interest revenue, reflecting the strength of our diversified business model. Our  focus on customers paid off as more of them entrusted us with their deposits and opportunities to serve more of their financial needs, as a result, customer deposits reached a record UShs 3.1 trillion for 2016, up a record 25% from the prior year in an industry that grew an average of 9.5%. Total customer loans and advances completed the year at UShs 2.0 trillion just up 3% from 2015 which was a deliberate part of our strategy in a high-interest rate environment.” He thanked shareholders for their patience, support and attending the AGM in such large numbers.

Informing shareholders about proposed changes to the board’s composition Stanbic corporation secretary Candy Wekesa Okoboi announced the nomination of three new non-executive directors Mr. Greg Brackenridge, Ms. Eva Kavuma and Mr. Clive Tasker. The trio were unanimously approved by show of hands following presentation of their credentials. Mrs Okoboi also announced the voluntary retirement of long serving board member Dr. Samuel Sejjaka after more than ten years of distinguished service to the bank.

Commending Stanbic for its performance NSSF MD Richard Byarugaba stated, “As the largest institutional shareholder in Stanbic, NSSF is extremely pleased with the banks 2016 performance which despite the challenging economic environment registered significant growth. This confirms the bank is being soundly managed and the funds we invested are in safe hands.”

Shareholders were informed that dividend payouts would be effected on or around the 12 June 2017 in accordance with individual shareholders payment instructions.

Uganda Car Hire with Cross Border

By
Mikey Makukuba
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0

Do you have plans of crossing the border of Uganda into any of the neighboring East African countries-Rwanda, Kenya or Tanzania? Mum and Dad Uganda Tours can make it happen because we understand that most travelers wish to combine tours/safaris between countries. For instance, you might wish to enjoy game drives in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park, gorilla trekking and Chimpanzee trekking within Bwindi and Kibale Forest respectively, then proceed to Rwanda’s Kigali City, Nyungwe Forest and Volcanoes National Parks. We totally understand that the idea of crossing the border with a hired Car is daunting but once the fine print is read and properly understood, you are likely to go farther than expected.

While the option of Uganda Car Hire with cross border is offered at Mum and Dad Uganda Tours, we only allow it for selected car types and to specific countries. One of the mistakes that most travelers do is crossing the border without informing the company but once you do this, you might be risking because third party insurance isn’t covered in another country. Also, if you fail to inform us of your plans to cross the border to another country, you will be breaking our contractual terms and conditions, in addition to voiding your insurance thus lose any accident or breakdown cover. For this reason, you will need approval from the Company and should be done at least 48 hours prior to the pick-up date of the Car hire.

With most Car Hire Companies in Uganda, a certain cross border fee is required to allow you drive the Car to another country. Also, remember that a number of travel restrictions will be put in place and they include how long you will be allowed to drive the Car out of the country and this varies from one Company to the other. Another important thing to note is that the type/category of Car you rent will have an effect on whether you are allowed to cross the border or not.

Do you know why most Car Hire Companies charge cross-border fees? Well, this is mainly charged to cater for any additional insurance that would be important for driving the Car outside Uganda. This fee will ensure that your insurance covers remains valid and the Company will provide the appropriate documentation. The amount will depend on the vehicle type and where you are heading to (be it Rwanda, Kenya or Tanzania) but varies from $10 and $50 per day.

Requirements for Hiring a Car with Cross Border

Whatever country you are crossing to, you will be requested for documents and these include;

Permission letter from the Car Hire Company

Before you cross the Border to another country, you will be requested (at the passport control at the border) for a letter of permission from the Car Hire Company. This should bear a signature and stamp of the Company, plus the National Identity Card.

Vehicle log book

Besides the permission letter from the Car Hire Company, you will need to present the vehicle log book and this is a proof that you are legally crossing the border with a rented Car.

Reflective sticker on the Rental Car

Besides permission letter and vehicle log book, another important requirement for car hire with cross border is having a reflective sticker on the Rental Car.

Your National/International Driving permit

You will also need to have a valid National or International Driving permit before you can be allowed to cross the Border with the Rental Car.

Is it possible to drop-off the Car in another country?

Yes, it is possible to cross the border with the Rental Car, but this depends on the Company and even those that do offer it at a high rate. All in all, most Companies aren’t so flexible when it comes to dropping cars in other countries than when it is with temporary crossing and returning back into the country.

Gadgets Every Traveler Needs in 2022

By
Mikey Makukuba
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0

There are people that were blessed with intellect that surpasses the ordinary, people that easily see through how something works and create an even better accessory. These very people create gadgets that will make traveling such an easy breezy hat you even forget the fatigue that comes after; some of these gadgets are very important especially when it comes to long journeys.

Fitness Tracker

You love traveling but also are a regular gym buddy which makes it hard to keep up with your exercise regiment; not all the places you will travel to will have gym access meaning you will need something to keep you on track. Gadgets like fitbit, samsung’s smartwatch, and Apple’s 8th generation iPod Nano are among some of those gadgets fitted with fitness apps which can help you stay on track while traveling.

Smart Suitcase

Its 2017 so forget about losing your luggage or being told that you over packed your way beyond the flight limit. Of course it being a smart suitcase doesn’t mean it will carry itself through the check in section at the airport but it means it will help you charge your phone, tell you what your luggage limit is, only be unlocked by your phone and even make it easy for you to track your property whilst on your journey. You can find these smart suitcases on Amazon.

Solar Charger

This one of the best inventions one can have especially when traveling to remote areas where it will be hard for you to charge your other vital gadgets such as phones and laptops. Solar chargers are not as new but because very few people realise how important they are. All you need is to put it in the sun for a day and you have charging power for almost a day depending on how many gadgets you have. Be careful not to purchase the roadside ones, look through tech shops and solar energy centers for genuine products.

E- Readers and Tablets

For anyone who loves reading books, you can go through a 600 page in hours meaning you are going to need a new book to replace the excitement of the previous, so you will need to carry your “preciouses” wherever you go and they can be quite many. E- readers like Kindle can give you over a 1000 books all easily accessible whilst your Tablet can act as a surrogate laptop, camera worktop and phone for any urgent business ideas. These can be easily found in gadget shops around Uganda at variable prices.

Unlocked Mifi

The growth of social media and other modern communication tools makes it easy for you to stay in touch with your family even if you a thousands of miles away from them. All that needs internet connections and with so many service providers who can avail you with portable mifis, it makes it easy for you to get in touch. It is only easier to move with one across borders if you unlock it.

Portable Bluetooth Speakers and Headphones

Everyone needs music in their life wherever they go. So why not get yourself portable speakers/ headphones for the time when you need a theme song, maybe going for a run or when you are watching a good movie and need good sound. Check Jumia for the best prices.

Solar LED Lights

These are so easy to find around Kampala so you do not have to stress yourself on where to find these since they are almost available at every petrol station. These lights can shine can last up to 16 hours if fully charged.

Smart Padlock

All it needs is an app on your phone and you will be able to secure your luggage as well as track it through the journey.

Go Green And Make Your Hotel Eco-Friendly

By
Mikey Makukuba
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0

Eco-friendly is a term that can be loosely translated to when human being engage in activities that do not harm the environment.

With recent studies showing that the climate change process has already begun, it is important that we look for ways to conserve our environment and not accelerate global warming. Going green does not literally mean painting your hotel green, planting flowers, and using paper plates but it means that we take several measures that help reduce the harm we bring to our environment. Here are a few steps that a hotel can take to ensure they have an eco-friendly location.

Involve All The Staff

Before you kickstart any campaign or make new changes, it is very important to involve all the staff members in the initiative. Get their ideas and feedback on some of the ones you want to put into action which will make it easy when the time comes to implement all the eco-friendly steps you have.

Small Steps

You can only do a complete overhaul when it is easy for you and the clients or when the hotel is not in its busy season. Therefore, before you jump head first into the green project, it is highly advisable to take small steps. Start with the smallest of things, such as putting recycling bins in every room and office station, electricity management among many other.

Maintain The  Environment

Yes, going green involves planting as many trees, grass, flowers and well manicured bushes around your hotel but it also means maintaining what the hotel found in place. If your hotel is next to the lake, swamp or forest, grow a dependant relationship with the area by not draining the swamps, cutting down tons of trees for expansion or dumping waste in the lake.

Structural Planning

When adding more structures to your hotel opt for materials that will not damage the environment, an example would be how most hotels that are built in forests always create cabins out of some of the wood and in the fact that the structure has to be removed, dismantling it will not be as damaging to the surroundings compared to heavy steel and concrete.

Save Energy

This is highly advisable especially when it comes to electricity use in hotels; you can get power saving bulbs for lighting, gas as an alternative kitchen cooking sauce, use solar heating systems for the pool and educate staff on room maintenance especially when there are no guests. This means that they should turn off lights as well as air conditioning in empty rooms during the hotel’s low season to save energy and of course the amount of money spent on the electricity bills.

Water Use

As important as water is, we never realise how much till the drought which is bad for business. No hotel should run when they are low on water supply or even without water; always ensure that there are tanks that tap rainwater which can be used in the toilets, watering plants and cleaning. Use low flush toilets that do not use as much water, encourage employees to use water sparingly, fix leaking faucets among many other things.

Green Spaces

Include many green spaces in the interior design of your hotel even in the rooms; bring in flower pots, the foyer can have a fountain with a tropical feel to it and maybe add manmade streams connecting the hotel structures. The best example of such eco-harmony would be the Serena group of hotels in Uganda. Each hotel has a unique but aesthetic feel to it that keeps you in contact with nature.

Reasons to Invest In Real Estate

By
Mikey Makukuba
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0

Real Estate involves different aspects like Land, Houses, Apartments and Commercial buildings. It is a vast term but most people use it to refer to properties (residential and commercial). You can make money from real estate business includes buying, renting and selling these different properties but if you’re looking for an investment opportunity it is better to know exactly which aspect of real estate you want to invest in. There are many reasons as to why investment in Real Estate is a great opportunity and below are 9 of them:

Banks are lending: Most people hesitate investing in real estate because they don’t have enough money but today in Uganda and Africa at large, banking institutions offer home loans to people who can not afford the properties. The rates are now affordable and you can now use our online mortgage calculator for all your mortgage solutions.

Reasonable prices: It is now possible to invest in real estate at reasonable prices. If you have a small budget you can invest in plots of land that do not cost a lot, however if you have abit of cash and looking for a quick investment  look for bank foreclosures because their prices are slightly lower than normal prices.

Technology: Technology has made real estate investment very easy. When you buy a house, it is not hard anymore to move around looking for clients, these days you can list it online and get clients to call you and schedule visits. The internet provides a platform to list properties and make them visible to many people.

Knowledge is Free: Investing in real estate is different from other investments. When you invest in other fields like tech companies you have to learn about statistics and finance but in real estate all the knowledge you need is provided online like market size, pricing of different properties according to different areas and you can also hire agents/property managers that can assist you. .

Cash Flow: Investing in real estate has a positive cash flow. Let’s say you buy a house at 80,000,000 Shillings and rent it at $1500 per month, you will make an investment return in 5 years and after 5 years the rest will be profit which you can reinvest in another business, save for future financial challenges or use to settle debts.

The Loan Pay Down: When you invest in real estate through a bank loan, your tenant is actually  the one paying your mortgage not you  and after 30 years your house might be your main source of income, feeding you and paying for your kids’ education.

Appreciation: The value of most real estate aspects i.e land  always goes up instead of going down. Properties don’t lose value instead they increase value from time to time.

Staying Safe On The Road: Tips From UBL On Responsible Driving

By
Mikey Makukuba
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0

It’s common to hear the phrase ‘drink responsibly’ when people are talking about alcohol and we have seen many alcohol commercials saying “drink responsibly.”

For some years now, especially towards Easter and Christmas holidays, Uganda Breweries Limited usually runs Red Card campaigns aimed at responsible drinking.

But what does it actually mean to drink responsibly?

Avoid Drunk Driving

This one kind of sells itself. Responsible drinking means if you have to drive anywhere don’t drink more alcohol than is recommended.

Many traffic accidents in Uganda have been caused by drunk driving. According to the recent traffic report, 310 accidents caused last year were a result of drunk driving.

If you’re going out for a big night, work out amongst your group of friends who’s going to be the one that drives home. If no one wants to have a sober night, bring enough money for a taxi. You could also keep an emergency cash stash at home, so that if something unexpected happens and you need a taxi, you can still pay the fare. Don’t forget that breath alcohol levels continue to rise even after you stop drinking.

Control your alcohol intake

Learning about ways to keep your alcohol intake in check is the first step in learning to drink responsibly. This can be done through personal responsibility and outside help. Though if one has no self control, asking a friend to keep you in check is good.

Being a responsible drinker means making informed decisions about alcohol consumption. Alcohol is alcohol. Whether it’s a beer, wine, or spirit, what matters is how much you drink not what you drink.

Know the standard drink

Being a responsible drinker includes finding out about what a standard drink is and using that information to keep track of how much you’re drinking. When one is drinking shots, it’s important to remember that spirits often have high alcohol content.

Don’t mix alcohol with drugs

Responsible drinking also means that one shouldn’t ix alcohol with drugs. Doctors say the impact of mixing alcohol and other drugs (whether medication or recreational) is pretty serious.

Not only can you not anticipate the effect it will have on your behavior, it will most likely make you sick. There are no safe combo’s when it comes to alcohol and other drugs, so it’s better to just stick to one or the other.

Eat before drinking to slow down alcohol absorption

Drinking alcohol after eating slows down alcohol absorption.  This means that the resulting blood alcohol concentration will be lower than if the person had consumed the same alcohol on an empty stomach.

The basic thing to remember around responsible drinking is common sense. If it doesn’t sound like a good idea, it probably isn’t one.

Steps To Follow When Setting Up Your Property for Sale

By
Mikey Makukuba
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0

Are you are ready to sell your house? Have you checked every small detail that will help you sell your house? Many home owners neglect the small aspects of the house when selling it. Repairing the house solely will not help your property sell fast, other small details like cleaning, painting and setting up your house might seem trivial but actually play an important part in helping your house sell quickly.

There are several things that will need to be done before you put up your house for sale. Use the check list below to help you set up your property for sale

Tidy Up: It is important to tidy up the clutter that might be displayed around your house especially if you are or thinking of hosting an open house. If the house is cluttered then you will not be able to have the full attention of the potential buyers or display the property in all its glory. So make sure all the clutter is out of site before you put up it up for viewing.

Clean Up: No matter how attractive and valuable your property a dusty and dirty house will not sale and you will lose several potential customers. Dust, scrub, mop, wash and polish every possible surface in the house especially corners and cupboards that could have gone unnoticed over the years. If you do not have enough help, you can hire professional cleaners or ask your friends and family for assistance.

Add a fresh coat of paint: Walls and surfaces often gather smudges, scratches or dirt from people touching the surfaces over a long period of time and will not look attractive to prospect buyers. A fresh coat of paint will give your property that “new” house feeling and entice prospect buyers. Choosing the right color of paint is also important as this will make or break your opportunity to make a quick sale.

Aesthetical appeal: it is important that your property is appealing to the eye before you put it up for sell. This can usually be achieved by the right lighting, paint and decorations. Do not be afraid to use bold colors to make your property attractive. People like seeing a home that is attractive make use of exciting decorations, pillows and paintings. This will capture the attention of potential buyers.

Detail, Detail: Every detail counts when it comes to selling your house so do not neglect even the smallest of details. If you think everything is perfect role play with a friend and see what they notice that you might have neglected. Every small detail counts in this situation do let something as small as a squeaky loose tile or faulty sink ruin your sale.

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