Nsambya Railway: Museveni portrait redesigned

August 16, 2018

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New Museveni portrait at Nsambya traffic lights which Katende repainted.

By Leonard Kamugisha
“The perfection in the former portrait was not good, as a graphic artist, I therefore picked more interest to repaint it. Besides, president Museveni is my inspirational Role model and I did this to appreciate the works he’s rendered to our country particularly in improving the lives of the youths,” says Artist Katende Job Norman.

Just a few metres away from the city clock tower (Saawa ya Queen) driving along the Nsambya – Ggaba Rd you are welcomed by a beautifully painted portrait of President Museveni at Nsambya railway traffic lights.

Over the last 4yrs, the said sculpture was indecent in old fashion looks with buried colours, but if you drove along that road (Nsambya-Ggaba Rd) today and had a stop over at the traffic lights, you would think its a days young portrait designed.

The portrait is designed in the Eye-catching white army combat colour with an army green checked uniform background portraying the president as a true army soldier and a 5Star General.

In a one on one interview with our reporter, 29-yr-old Job Norman Katende, graphic artist and designer who designed and re-painted the portrait said that the old portrait looked indecent in because it had taken many years which encouraged him to repaint it in modern graphic art styles.

“The perfection in the old portrait was not good, as a graphic artist, I therefore picked more interest to repaint it. Besides, president Museveni is my inspirational Role model and I did this to appreciate the works he’s rendered to our country particularly in improving the lives of the youths,” says Artist Katende.

According to Katende,the white colour and army green uniform background connotes the president as a significant army officer envisioned at causing Peace and Security for all in the country and the world as a whole.

This comes a few weeks President Museveni won the Global Peace Leadership Award for the year 2018 in recognition for his exemptional championship of peace across the the globe.
The Award was awarded to him (Museveni) during the 6th Global Peace Leadership Conference (GPLC) held at Munyonyo Resort Hotel on Thursday August 2, 2018 aimed at promoting innovative values-based approach to peace building.

Katende says Ugandans need to feel proud of president Museveni’s contributions towards the economic development of the country other than leaving him to be praised outside the country.

He said that because of limited artistical materials used in designing such as paints, the designing work is incomplete and he expects to complete the design sooner than later.

“I am not yet done with designing and painting the portrait. I still lack some funds to purchase other designing materials so as I complete my design,” he said.

Katende says when complete the portrait shall be designed with beautiful header texts of the; “Sowing the Mustard Seed” and other wisdom quotes meant to educate,inspire and inform Ugandans.

The former portrait was designed on the walls of Railway Houses before they were demolished and the57-acre land bbelonging to Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) was allocated to private developers for redevelopment in 2011.

The dilapidated estates are to be redeveloped into an ultra-modern satellite town with 5,000 housing units at a cost of $300m (sh837b) and over 10 companies and individuals were allocated part of the estate land in Nsambya. Plans to redevelop this land have however, gone into silence.

Katende, has designed quiet number of different portraits for other prominent persons such as the Hon Robbert Kyagulanyi a.k.a Bobi Wine portrait in Makindye and one for city socialist Bryan White.

In his Graphic office at Fair House on Nasser Street Road, Katende and other Four of his trainees are engaged in graphic designing activities such as designing Magazines, Calendars, Brouchures, Banners, T-shirts, Cups among others.

Katende is also involved in farming which he started in 2014. Today, he owns a 16 accre farm growing fruits like water mellons, puympkins and other cereals such as maize and beans. The farm is located in Kakiri Wakiso district.

Former Museveni portrait before Katende redesigned it.

He says its from his farm outputs that he gets some of the capital to fund his graphics and design business. Furthermore, he encourages the youths to take up agriculture urging them not to take it as their last resort.

“Agriculture is the most profitable activity everyone should get involved in, the youths should take part in cultivation to beat up unemployment execuses,” Katende said.

However, Katende says due to his creativity and passion for art, he doesn’t think of quiting the graphics job. He says the business earns him income as he waits for the crops to yield.