Yampe eyes one million readers

Augustus Caesar Mulenga the publisher of the newspaper and chief executive officer I-telecom, one of Uganda's eight telecommunication operators, said Yampe will increase its circulation by mid 2010. “We have been selling 1,000 copies per month but we want to increase the number of copies because there's demand. This paper has the potential to grow,” Mulenga said in an interview in Kampala.

The bi-monthly newspaper which is now a year old, was launched last February as part of I-telecom's corporate social responsibility package to the Bafumbira people who estimated to be one million.

Yampe, which reports culture, sports, entertainment, and farming news, is published in the Lufumbira language. The Bantu dialect is spoken in the western and south western Uganda districts including; Kisoro, Kabale, Kamwenge and Kanungu among other districts.

The media's core objective is to promote the Lufumbira, culture, and traditions among the youth besides informing them of news in their communities. “It is also a medium of storing the records of our generations and a platform aimed at alleviation of poverty among farmers because it informs them about markets for their produce,” he added. Mulenga also operates the Southern Eye newspaper in South Sudan.