Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Uganda envoy to UK, Nimisha Madhvani, pays tribute to Queen

Guests who gathered for the occasion also remembered the late Queen who Madhvani called “a role model to so many of us”.

Uganda envoy to UK, Nimisha Madhvani, pays tribute to Queen

UGANDA'S high commissioner to the UK, Nimisha Madhvani, has paid tribute to the Queen following her death last Thursday (8).

Guests who gathered last weekend in Denham to mark the 50th anniversary of the expulsion of Asians from Uganda also paid tribute to the late Queen who Madhvani described as "a role model to so many of us".


She also thanked Ugandan president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for sending a condolence message to King Charles III, the new monarch, and the Royal Family.

Museveni was scheduled to visit the UK for the anniversary event in London, and other appointments, but it was cancelled because of the Queen's death.

Madhvani recalled an editorial where Museveni recently paid tribute to the Queen, saying he had been following her leadership since 1952, when she became the monarch, initially through the media and later through direct interactions at Commonwealth heads of government meetings (CHOGMs).

Ugandan foreign minister Jeje Odongo, who spoke on behalf of the president last weekend, will represent Museveni at the Queen's funeral on Monday (19).

The gathering last weekend at the Anoopam Mission saw prominent Asians including Lord Dolar Popat, the UK's trade envoy to Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda; businessmen Harshad Modha and Sanjay Rughani; entrepreneur Satish Chatwani, among others, who have connections with Uganda.

Former Ugandan envoy to the UK, Joyce Kikafunda; Asian peer and business leader Lord Rami Ranger; Madhvani's uncle Mayur and brother Amit; and an Ugandan delegation including Cecilia Ogwal; ambassador Ocwet; and Odrek Rwabogo, presidential advisor for exports promotion, also attended the event. It was organised by Modha, Rughani, Harish Joshi, Satish Chatwani and Lord Popat.

Madhvani, who was a teenager when Amin ordered thousands of Asians to leave Uganda, said she was deeply humbled to represent the east African nation, called the 'Pearl of Africa', in the UK.

Untitled design 2022 09 16T192252.965 Ugandan foreign minister Jeje Odongo (third from left) with dignitaries such as Sanjay Rughani (extreme left) and Harshad Modha (second from left) in Denham on September 11 to commemorate 50 years of the expulsion of Ugandan Asians by former dictator Idi Amin.   (Picture: Karma PR)

"Yesterday’s refugee, an ambassador today. I feel intensely proud and privileged of my ancestral roots and the legacy left behind by my parents and ancestors. Together we can make a real and lasting difference to the lives and livelihoods of all people, not just those who happen to be from Uganda," she said.

More For You

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case
Bhim Kohli

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case

THE seven-year prison sentence handed to a 15-year-old boy convicted of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Bhim Sen Kohli is to be reviewed under the UK’s Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

The Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday (5) that the teenager’s sentence will now be considered by the Court of Appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attends a prayer meet held for his long life at the Dalai Lama temple in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

THE Dalai Lama said on Saturday (5) he hopes to live until he is more than 130 years old, two decades longer than his previous prediction, following his assurance to followers that he would reincarnate as the spiritual head of the faith upon his death.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner was speaking during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday (6), and as China insists it will choose his successor. The Dalai Lama told Reuters in December he might live to 110.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK heatwave by mid-July

Daytime temperatures meeting or exceeding set thresholds of 25°C

iStock

Met Office warns of potential third UK heatwave by mid-July

Key points

  • Met Office forecasts rising temperatures by mid-July
  • Possible third heatwave after record-breaking June
  • High pressure system likely to bring hot air from the Atlantic
  • Yellow rain warning and flood alerts issued in parts of Scotland and Cumbria

Possible heatwave to return by mid-July

The UK could experience its third heatwave in a month by mid-July, the Met Office has said. Forecasters expect rising heat and humidity during the second weekend of July, following two weekends of unusually warm weather in late June.

June was officially the hottest on record in England, and the return of high temperatures could mean another heatwave for parts of the country. However, the Met Office cautioned that it is too early to confirm how hot conditions will get.

Keep ReadingShow less
crypto

Two men have been jailed for defrauding investors of £1.5 million through a fake crypto investment scheme. (Representational image: iStock)

Two jailed over £1.5m crypto investment scam

TWO people who duped investors of £1.5 million by selling fake investments in crypto have been jailed for 12 years, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.

Raymondip Bedi, of Bromley, and Patrick Mavanga, of Peckham, conned at least 65 people by cold-calling them between February 2017 and June 2019. They operated companies including CCX Capital and Astaria Group LLP.

Keep ReadingShow less
Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE is now investigating more than 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects, following years of public criticism and institutional failings in tackling child sexual exploitation.

A new report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has revealed the force has made “significant improvements” in dealing with group-based sexual abuse and related crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less