Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
KASUBI ROYAL TOMBS INFERNO IN PICTURES
PEOPLE SHOT DEAD IN KASUBI INFERNO SAGGA
More than three people have reportedly been shot dead and many injured following a scuffle with the military police at the Kasubi Tombs, which were destroyed last night by a fire.
This was after Military police can at Kasubi in a Mini bus {white in Colour} can out and started shooting directly to the people.
According to the sources [WBS TV live video], Kababa's young brother was at the scene and said "tuli mukunyolwa naye amajje gatukuba masasi, nange mponedde watono kuba mbadde nina okwekweka mubitoke." meaning " we're in trying times but Military police has come and shot people any how. I also survived b'se i had to hide myself behind banana plantations."
Six other are said to be injured and admitted at Mulago Hospital.
Major Felix Kulaigye, the army spokesman confirmed the deaths to our reporter and said investigations into the shooting have started.
More than Two
people have been confirmed dead while about six are nursing injuries at
Mulago Hospital after they were shot by the military at Kasubi Tombs
earlier today.
The soldiers opened fire after a crowd
of people tried to block president Museveni's convoy from accessing the
cultural site that burnt to ashes on Tuesday night.
Major
Felix Kulaigye, the army spokesman confirmed the deaths to our reporters and said investigations into the shooting have started. "The
loss of the tombs was regrettable but the violence that resulted in the
death of these people was completely uncalled for and should have
been avoided," Kulayigye told Dance 256.
BUGANDA ROYAL TOMBS AT KASUBI INFERNO
The historic Kasubi Tombs last night went up in flames,
engulfing the main building housing the mausoleums of four former
Buganda kings (Basekabakas).
Hundreds of Kingdom subjects,
some prostrating, crying and screaming, gathered in front of the embers.
The grass-thatched hut was completely destroyed within minutes, leaving
the skeletal brick wall.
The burial grounds, revered by the Baganda, are 128 years old.
The burial grounds, revered by the Baganda, are 128 years old.
Witnesses
Witnesses said the blaze started around 8:30pm. One woman, Lydia Nabambulide, said she heard “a loud explosion” behind the tombs, just before the fire began.
Witnesses said the blaze started around 8:30pm. One woman, Lydia Nabambulide, said she heard “a loud explosion” behind the tombs, just before the fire began.
She said: “I saw a white box wrapped in
something like bark cloth and it looked strange.”
A
white numberless pickup truck reportedly emerged from the tombs shortly
after the fire broke out, Mr Andrew Jjuko said, quoting Boda Boda men
who were at the scene.
Other reports suggested that the
fleeing man shot in the air to scare away riders in his pursuit.
Mr
Charles Peter Mayiga, the Buganda information minister, said they were
puzzled by the mysterious fire outbreak and “it is a dark moment for the
kingdom.”
“We don’t know what is really going on in
the kingdom,” he said.
Earlier, an agitated crowd chased away Police fire fighters who pulled up to quell the fire around 9:20pm.
Earlier, an agitated crowd chased away Police fire fighters who pulled up to quell the fire around 9:20pm.
Security
operatives who surrounded the tombs shot several times in the air to
force back a charged mass of people that advanced towards the firemen.
The light rain at the time did nothing to tame the flames.
Buganda
Katikkiro, John Baptist Walusimbi, arrived shortly after 10pm and
looked distraught as he inspected the extent of damage to the Muzibu
Azaala Mpanga.
He was quickly surrounded by his
subjects, many prostrating in the wet soil. They burst into singing the
"Buganda anthem" as one sounded the kingdom’s big drum, to mobilise more
of the subjects.
The cause of the fire is yet to be
established, police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba told reporters at
11:40pm.
Mr Musa Sevume, suspecting arson, said,
“Buganda is here and it will stay. Buganda is more than just the tombs.
We will replace them.”
A kingdom subject, who only identified himself as Jacob, said amid sobs that the tombs are, “part of us and they should at least leave history alone.”
A kingdom subject, who only identified himself as Jacob, said amid sobs that the tombs are, “part of us and they should at least leave history alone.”
The Kasubi
tombs, some four kilometers west of Kampala city, are a Unesco-certified
World Heritage site that brings in millions of shillings to Buganda
kingdom through tourism.
Eyewitnesses said the fire started from behind the huts. The main hut
was completely destroyed as the surging crowd wailed in disbelief,
hampering further the Police efforts to stop the inferno from spreading.
The Police said they could not tell the extent of the damage to the world famous heritage site since they were unable to access it, but it was clear that the huts were reduced to ash.
Situated on a hill within Kampala, the site is an active religious place in Buganda Kingdom.
As a burial ground for four kings, it is a religious centre for the royal family, a place where the Kabaka and his representatives frequently carry out important rituals.
It is also an outstanding example of traditional Ganda architecture and an exceptional testimony of the living Ganda traditions.
For Uganda, the site represents an important symbol of its history and culture. The tombs were listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2001.
The Baganda date their political civilisation back to the 13th Century AD. Their first Kabaka was Kintu. He is said to have come with his wife Nambi, whose hand he won by performing heroic deeds at the command of her father Gulu.
The first Kabaka to be buried at Kasubi tombs was Muteesa I, the 35th king.
Buganda’s kings built their palaces on strategic hills to control the major roads to the palace and find easy ways to escape in case of an invasion or rebellion.
Each Kabaka was buried at a separate site in a royal shrine to house his jaw bone, which was believed to contain his spirit.
Muteesa 1 was born around 1835 and was crowned in 1856. He established his palace at Kasubi in 1882, as did his father, Kabaka Suuna 11.
His son Daudi Chwa succeeded him in 1897. Chwa died in 1939 and he was also buried at Kasubi Tombs with his two predecessors.
Chwa was succeeded by his son Edward Muteesa 11. When Uganda attained independence from the British on October 9, 1962, Muteesa II became the constitutional president of Uganda.
However, Apollo Milton Obote stormed his palaces in May 1966 and forced him into exile in England. He died in 1969 in London and his remains were brought back and buried at Kasubi in 1971.
It is not known how the tombs will be rebuilt following the fire last night.
The Police were alerted about the fire at 8:50pm. However, attempts by the fire brigade to reach the site were hampered by a riotous crowd.
“We could not access the scene because of the rioters, so we could not save the tombs,” Simon Musoke, the chief fire officer, explained.
Musoke said three fire trucks were damaged and a fire fighter injured by the rioters.
Details about the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage were scanty.
Last evening, at least two military mambas were seen heading to the site.
The Police said they could not tell the extent of the damage to the world famous heritage site since they were unable to access it, but it was clear that the huts were reduced to ash.
Situated on a hill within Kampala, the site is an active religious place in Buganda Kingdom.
As a burial ground for four kings, it is a religious centre for the royal family, a place where the Kabaka and his representatives frequently carry out important rituals.
It is also an outstanding example of traditional Ganda architecture and an exceptional testimony of the living Ganda traditions.
For Uganda, the site represents an important symbol of its history and culture. The tombs were listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2001.
The Baganda date their political civilisation back to the 13th Century AD. Their first Kabaka was Kintu. He is said to have come with his wife Nambi, whose hand he won by performing heroic deeds at the command of her father Gulu.
The first Kabaka to be buried at Kasubi tombs was Muteesa I, the 35th king.
Buganda’s kings built their palaces on strategic hills to control the major roads to the palace and find easy ways to escape in case of an invasion or rebellion.
Each Kabaka was buried at a separate site in a royal shrine to house his jaw bone, which was believed to contain his spirit.
Muteesa 1 was born around 1835 and was crowned in 1856. He established his palace at Kasubi in 1882, as did his father, Kabaka Suuna 11.
His son Daudi Chwa succeeded him in 1897. Chwa died in 1939 and he was also buried at Kasubi Tombs with his two predecessors.
Chwa was succeeded by his son Edward Muteesa 11. When Uganda attained independence from the British on October 9, 1962, Muteesa II became the constitutional president of Uganda.
However, Apollo Milton Obote stormed his palaces in May 1966 and forced him into exile in England. He died in 1969 in London and his remains were brought back and buried at Kasubi in 1971.
It is not known how the tombs will be rebuilt following the fire last night.
The Police were alerted about the fire at 8:50pm. However, attempts by the fire brigade to reach the site were hampered by a riotous crowd.
“We could not access the scene because of the rioters, so we could not save the tombs,” Simon Musoke, the chief fire officer, explained.
Musoke said three fire trucks were damaged and a fire fighter injured by the rioters.
Details about the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage were scanty.
Last evening, at least two military mambas were seen heading to the site.
KABAKA's BURIED AT THE ROYAL TOMBS include;
Daudi Chwa II (1896-1939)
Muteesa I (1835-1884)
Basamula Mwanga II
(1867-1903)
Daudi Chwa II (1896-1939)
Fredrick Walugembe
Muteesa II (1924-1969)
Monday, February 1, 2010
Bebe shot! His Carrier Left hanging
Popular musician Bebe Cool being comforted by his father, Jaberi Bidandi Ssali at Nsambya Hospital yesterday morning. Looking on is the musician’s wife Zuena Kirema
Top musician Bebe Cool was yesterday in a “serious but stable” condition after a Policeman allegedly shot him during a scuffle still masked in controversy, Sunday Monitor has learnt.
Three other people - two being Bebe’s minders and the other David Oloka, a Special Police Constable – injured in the Friday night shooting, are receiving treatment at Nsambya and Mulago hospitals, respectively.
Dr Martin Nsubuga, the medical superintendent of Nsambya Hospital, said Bebe sustained “gunshot wounds” on both legs, forcing an immediate surgery.
“We explored the wounds and cleaned them to ensure all foreign matter is removed and with continuous dressing, he should improve soon,” he said, suggesting the musician would be able to resume stage performance but gave no timeline.
Bebe Cool’s minders injured in the fracas have been named as Godfrey Kayinza alias Cobra and Allan Musengere, who was hit in the ankle.
Zuena Kirema, the wife of the musician, whom this reporter found seated on the porch of Luigi Girardini Endoscopic Unit, which houses the theatre, said she witnessed the bloody incident at Effendys, a popular city hangout in Centenary Park, but was “too distressed” to speak to the media.
“The whole thing was bad,” she said before going quiet.
Employees of Effendys too declined to speak about the incident which early indications suggest may have its genesis in rivalry in the music industry.
Employees of Effendys too declined to speak about the incident which early indications suggest may have its genesis in rivalry in the music industry.
Hours before, the musician had performed, as one of the curtain raising acts, at the equally chaotic concert of American R’nB star Robert Kelly at Lugogo Cricket Ground where Police fired in the air to disperse a crowd that fought to force their way in when American went on stage while so many ticket holders were still queuing outside. Nearly a dozen merrymakers, allegedly caught with counterfeit show tickets, were arrested and are in custody at Jinja Road Police Station.
After the Lugogo performance, Bebe Cool reportedly ran into trouble with Police deployed there after attempting to force his way out through an emergency exit reserved for exclusive use by ambulances, fire tenders and R. Kelly’s entourage.
He then headed to Club Silk before dashing to Effendys around 3a.m.
Meanwhile, at Nsambya Hospital, a handful of Bebe’s relatives and fans, later joined by his father and People’s Progressive Party leader Bidandi Ssali, looked distraught but decided in comments to a battery of anxious journalists that only the musician would speak on the incident when he recuperates.
He then headed to Club Silk before dashing to Effendys around 3a.m.
Meanwhile, at Nsambya Hospital, a handful of Bebe’s relatives and fans, later joined by his father and People’s Progressive Party leader Bidandi Ssali, looked distraught but decided in comments to a battery of anxious journalists that only the musician would speak on the incident when he recuperates.
Immediate action
Detectives at Jinja Road Police station arrested Alfred Acihikan, an SPC who was on night patrol in the area, immediately after the incident and are holding him as a prime suspect.
“Investigations into the incident are underway; we have taken statements from some witnesses and will decide what charges to prefer against the suspect,” said Ms Judith Nabakooba, the Police spokesperson.
Detectives at Jinja Road Police station arrested Alfred Acihikan, an SPC who was on night patrol in the area, immediately after the incident and are holding him as a prime suspect.
“Investigations into the incident are underway; we have taken statements from some witnesses and will decide what charges to prefer against the suspect,” said Ms Judith Nabakooba, the Police spokesperson.
The narration of what transpired before the shooting, an account partly pegged to steamy romance, is as confusing as it is varied. One version, corroborated by witnesses; Lambert Ochowun, 23, and Charles Okot, 30, in their statements to Police is that two people were reportedly found having sex in a car at a nearby parking yard.
When Police asked the pair to vacate the place, the man reportedly telephoned Bebe Cool who reportedly dashed to the scene with his crew, one of whom allegedly attempted to disarm SPC Acihikan, now in custody, prompting the shooting.
When Police asked the pair to vacate the place, the man reportedly telephoned Bebe Cool who reportedly dashed to the scene with his crew, one of whom allegedly attempted to disarm SPC Acihikan, now in custody, prompting the shooting.
But SPC Oloka, who sustained a broken left leg in the fracas spoke to Sunday Monitor on his bed at Mulago Hospital, saying that he found his colleague Acihikan quarrelling with an advancing group of the musician shortly before the 3.30 a.m confrontation.
“He (Acihikan) cocked his gun and the situation was dangerous and getting worse,” Mr Oloka said, adding: “I think Bebe Cool must have said something very bad to him and immediately, I heard gunshots. Two bullets hit me and I fell down. Thereafter, my colleague whom I had advised not to shoot came and grabbed my gun and began shooting with it also.”
“He (Acihikan) cocked his gun and the situation was dangerous and getting worse,” Mr Oloka said, adding: “I think Bebe Cool must have said something very bad to him and immediately, I heard gunshots. Two bullets hit me and I fell down. Thereafter, my colleague whom I had advised not to shoot came and grabbed my gun and began shooting with it also.”
Self-defence?
Although the suspect says he acted in self-defence, Mr Ssali, who spoke to journalists at Nsambya Hospital after hearing his son’s version of the events leading up to the shooting, blamed the incident on ill-trained SPCs. “He (Bebe Cool) told me that he had an argument inside Effendys bar and when he decided to get away from the scene, he was confronted by Police officers,” Mr Ssali said, quoting his son.
Although the suspect says he acted in self-defence, Mr Ssali, who spoke to journalists at Nsambya Hospital after hearing his son’s version of the events leading up to the shooting, blamed the incident on ill-trained SPCs. “He (Bebe Cool) told me that he had an argument inside Effendys bar and when he decided to get away from the scene, he was confronted by Police officers,” Mr Ssali said, quoting his son.
Bebe Cool reportedly said: “When I tried to explain my case, the Police officers would not allow me to do so and before I realised, the Police officers had started shooting.”
The incident, whichever way it is explained, raises questions about the conduct of armed state security operatives, particularly their desire to fire at the slightest provocation, as well as the imposing attitude of star musicians that a government minister questioned moments before the shooting. In a statement issued on Friday, Ethics Minister Nsaba Buturo accused Uganda’s music celebrities of corrupting morals of their fans by allegedly “glamourising drug taking, prostitution, indecent dressing and foul talk”.
“I am appealing to artistes to be responsible and use their influence to speak about unity, development and morality,” the statement circulated to media houses by Uganda Media Centre quoted Dr Buturo as having said.
Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, the Inspector General of Police, who earlier in the day announced plans to draft local musicians and harness their popularity to promote road safety campaign, described the shooting as an “unfortunate incident”.
Bebe Kool speaks out on shooting
The Police and the hospitalised singer continue to give conflicting accounts of the matter. Speaking from his bed in Nsambya Hospital, Bebe Cool denied Police reports that he engaged in a quarrel with the two SPCs who shot him.
He also denied rendering support to a couple making love in a car in a public parking area, whom the SPCs were trying to arrest.
“The Policeman shot me four times. I was innocent. This must be investigated,” Bebe Cool told STREET 256.
He links his mishap to rivalry in the music industry. He said he had recently informed the Police chief, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, about a plot to kill him.
“The good thing is that Kayihura and his personal assistant were aware of plans by some people to shoot me. I have been receiving phone messages from anonymous senders, threatening to finish my life.”
Alfred Acihikan, an SPC attached to Jinja Road Police station, allegedly shot Bebe Cool along with his two bodyguards, Cobra and Allan Masengere, at 3:30am on Saturday. Acihikan was arrested.
The incident occurred behind Nakumatt Supermarket as the singer left Effendy’s Bar and Restaurant, located in Centenary Park. A bullet also hit Police officer David Oluka who is admitted at Mulago Hospital.
Earlier in the night, Bebe Cool had performed at American music star Robert Kelly’s show at Lugogo Cricket Oval from where he went to Club Silk in Industrial Area.
He narrated that together with his wife, Zuena, they left Club Silk at 3:00am and went to test his new songs at Effendy’s.
“We engaged in a squabble with the Weasels. Effendy’s management offered me two security guards attached to Hash Security and a Police officer (Oluka), dressed in uniform, to escort me away from the bar.”
Bebe Cool said he wanted to do some shopping at Nakumatt but the SPCs intercepted them on the way to the supermarket.
“I heard one of the SPCs cocking a gun. He first shot the Police officer who was escorting me. Then he fired five bullets in my thighs. He shot Cobra and Masengere one bullet each.” Bebe Cool said the two security guards disappeared as soon as the shout-out began.
His statements sharply contradict the Police’s account. The Police on Saturday said both Oluka and Acihikan are SPCs attached to Jinja Road Police Station.
They said they tried to stop a couple from having sex in a car on the Nakumatt premises. The man in the car asked them if he could call his ‘lawyer’ but instead, Bebe Cool and his bodyguards showed up. The shooting, the Police said, started when the group tried to disarm the SPCs.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
BAVUBUKA ALL STARS USING HIP HOP CULTURE TO CREATE A VOICE FOR YOUTH IN UGANDA +256
L-R: Graham Boyle, Baay Musa, Dumi Right, Stacy Willyard, and Magee McIlvaine.
Thursday, November 12 the star of the show was the Bavubuka Foundation, pronounced ba-voo-boo-kah - a Luganda word for youth.
The Bavubuka Foundation is a nonprofit organization that connects youth with music and arts in hopes to transform their lives and unify communities. Members of Voices Organizing for International Change, Empowerment, and Support (V.O.I.C.E.S.) all have a special affinity and admiration for the Bavubuka Foundation, especially Magee McIlaine of Nomadic Wax and Stacy Willyard of the US Institute for Peace. Magee McIlvaine, a Canadian born filmmaker and hip-hop aficionado, has traveled extensively throughout Africa and has witness the power and influence of hip-hop in African youth. He aimed “to bring different worlds together” for the V.O.I.C.E.S. event series where art, music, political and cultural education converge in an entertaining and informal format.
Stacy Willyard is particularly passionate in her accolades for the Bavubuka Foundation. She’s visited the organization’s facilities in Uganda and is involved with its fundraising and development. She recounts the uniqueness of the organization as she shares it is currently supported by individual donors only. She hopes the organization will be in a place to accept institutional grants soon. In true generation-Y styled, people-to-people giving, she made sure to let event attendees know where their donations would be going, youth in Uganda. She recalls a young Ugandan woman’s hopes to be Betty Bigombe, a renowned mediator and scholar, when she grew up. A huge fan of Bigombe, Willyard is thrilled as she feels “the world could use more peacemakers”.
The event was a true multimedia experience; art lined the walls and floors at the Hillyer Art Space, a video showed background on the Foundation, Ugandan hip-hop, Magee spun on the 1s and 2s and Dumi Right hyped-up the audience and preformed.
V.O.I.C.E.S. takes pride in forming their collective and shinning light on organizations important to them. They feel like DC is the perfect location given its think tanks, US government and multilateral agencies, and NGOs to hosts these interactive events for the international development and policy communities. Their hope is that influential Washingtonians can learn about grassroots organizations in Africa that they might not have learned about otherwise and be inspired to support them.
V.O.I.C.E.S. plans to host these events the second Thursday of every month at the Hillyer Art Space, 9 Hillyer Court NW. On Thursday, December 10th, they will spotlight Magamba Project based in Harare, Zimbabwe, an organization trying to use arts and culture to achieve social justice and protect human rights.
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Thursday, January 7, 2010
A SURE WAY TO A HAPPY DAY
It’s not something you search for and so seldom find….
It’s Just waking up and beginning the day
By counting our blessings and kneeling to pray
- It’s giving up thoughts that breed discontent
And accepting what comes as a “gift heaven sent”
– It’s giving up wishing for things we have not
And making the best of whatever we’ve got
– It’s knowing that life is determined for us,
And persuing our tasks without fret, fume, or fuse
– For it’s by completing what God gives us to do that we find real contentment and happiness ,
too always remember God loves you and so do I,
We meet people on our ways through life, we create the love we so desire,
Nothing we do can change how our hearts feel,
so just remember the heart is our way to happiness, and
Gods love creates in us, who we are.
Its all about Gods love for us we need to love our families and friends and all we incounter each day , spread love to all your friends. By Angel
Monday, January 4, 2010
END OF WEAK - MIC CHALLENGE UGANDA {AMY HUME'S STORY}
EOW is so different from what people have seen here that they were mostly all just highly impressed. Lady Slyke, GNL and Babaluku personally and publicly thanked her for providing a platform to strengthen the Hip Hop community in UG. Now she must personally thank Big Zoo, Vice Verses and ProPayne from EOW NYC for creating the MC Challenge but for also believing in her and allowing her to bring the idea to Africa. Since having a major television station and Hip Hop celebrity involved this time, the next Challenge in February is bound to bring more attention. She have many people interested in getting on board the EOW-ship, so she have much work ahead of her. The international bridge uniting people through Hip Hop is officially built and the traffic begins to flow.
The best part of the story is that Cyno from Bavubuka All*Stars won the Challenge. "I knew the competition would come down to Jungle and Cyno, and Cyno proved to be a more versatile and prolific emcee".Amy said. For the prize, she gave $100 USD and studio time. Cyno and friends immediately left for town with his “Obama money” to go eat at a local market/mall/restaurant Nakumatt. The following day, Cyno purchased a goat to grill for everyone involved in EOW and the Bavubuka House. The goat, big, black and male, had calls of distress through the night and so in the morning I fed him some greens grass and apologized that his life would soon be over but thanked him for providing nourishment and satisfaction to many people. She was pleasantly surprised that Cyno used his money to give back to his family and friends. She was at a soccer tournament the morning of the BBQ (31 Dec), so she missed the slaughtering and skinning of our friend Billy, but arrived in time to find 3 people working at the grill covered in goat parts (with Billy’s head underneath on the sidewalk), a few people talking and a group of people shouting and laughing. The group conversation was about 2 girls that came by the house, one of them being involved with my housemate Blue Banton, but she left him for Cyno because he won the MC Challlenge. Despite not understanding the language, the gestures, laughter and reactions tell enough of the story. It was the first day since my arrival that the energy and spirits of the Bavubuka compound were high and the laughter infectious to everyone. It was a truly peaceful and fulfilling family gathering. Once again, End of the Weak has proven to bring together people from different walks of life but all fighting for the same cause- unity within the Hip Hop community.
For New Year’s Eve, she puts on a tiny black dress, put Stacy in a small green dress of mine and watched Roshan push up her cleavage in her short black dress and we headed to Feathers. Rosh’s brother, Salim, runs Feathers and so it is somewhat of a second home. It’s somewhere we can go alone and know we will find friends there and will spend time safely and peacefully. And eat delicious food (pork)! We ate, drank, had jello shots and watched fireworks from the parking lot. We made the mistake of going into town (Kampala City) where the streets were crowded and the invitations to hang out were abundant. We decided to go back to Feathers where our safety net and our friends were collecting. She have some really good people on my side and she's proud to say, she made the right decision in coming back to Uganda to work, play and dream.As her friend Rosh told her after the MC Challenge, “You should be proud of yourself. With an open spirit and a blessed heart success is always achievable and deserved. Learn the lessons of the night and know that every hardship is a future medal aspiring to bigger and beta things.”
inset From right: Amy, Roshan & Stacy
Friday, January 1, 2010
Teenage Tycoons
Ask a group of 18 to 25 years olds about the idea of
becoming an entrepreneur and almost three quarters will say that it is
a good career choice.
So you probably should not be too surprised that youngsters are setting up businesses at an earlier and earlier age.
Sarah Green, Oliver Bridge and Jake Lunn all run their
own companies - selling furniture, shoes and personalised napkins, and
all of them are making real money.
Just one thing - Sarah is aged 20, Oliver is 17 and Jake is 10.
So how did they begin?
Yacht profits
Two years ago, when he was just eight, Jake Lunn was on holiday with his parents on a friend's yacht, leafing through some sailing magazines when a particularly flashy boat caught his eye.
Jake promptly declared that he was going to buy it.
But his dad Nick told him that if he was to afford the ship of his dreams then he would have to earn some serious cash.
"We all started teasing him and said if you want to earn enough money to afford a super-yacht, you'd better start earning now."
It was there that Jake's business idea for making personalised printed napkins for yachts was born; Nautical-napkins.co.uk was launched.
With some financial help from his dad, Jake started up the business with a second-hand printing press bought for £750.
"We did a deal which meant for that £750, for every time he sold a set of napkins he gave us half and kept half for himself until he'd paid back the £750," explains Nick.
"Well he's done that now and now he gets to keep all of the profit rather than half of the profit."
He might be just 10 years old, but Jake certainly has a head for the figures.
"Each napkin costs 50p and I earn a profit of about 25p," he says.
"I've got a profit of over £2,000. I have about £1,000 in my bank account at the moment."
But he is not afraid to spend his hard earned cash.
He has already bought a drum kit, a guitar and a surf board.
Large shoes
Seventeen-year-old Oliver Bridge turned a personal problem - his large feet - into a business opportunity when he set up a company selling big shoes.
"I had a look on the internet. Not that much competition from the big stores and I thought OK, I'll go in for it," he says.
He got in touch with shoe manufacturers and arranged to sell their biggest sizes through his own online store Biggerfeet.co.uk.
"I'd got all of the stuff in place and the first couple of weeks of July last year I spent 10 days building my website," he says.
"Then it all just came together and from then on just started selling.
"Within the first half hour of my website being online I had an order. Since then it's skyrocketed. Sales have just gone through the roof."
Self starter
Entrepreneur number three, Sarah Green, is something of a veteran with more than five years experience in the world of business.
At the age of 18 she started an online furniture company, 1st-for-furniture.co.uk, which, in only its second year of trading, is expected to hit a turnover of almost £400,000.
Her dad, Andy Green, explains where she got her flair for business from.
At the age of 12 Sarah was already earning a wage doing a regular paper round and it was while on her deliveries that she spotted an opportunity.
"She saw a market that part of her round was old age pensioners whose gardens were looking like wilderness years," says Andy.
"So she made up fliers on the computer, put them through and in the space of two weeks she was cutting eight gardens every other Sunday, which was great for a kid of 12 who was coming home with £40 to £50 in her pocket."
Teaching talent
The talents and aspirations of these three young entrepreneurs are exactly what the government is trying to tap into with a new scheme for enterprise and training.
Chancellor Gordon Brown has committed £180m of taxpayers' money to provide secondary school children with a taste for the world of business by giving them five days of so called Enterprise Training.
Hastingsbury School in Bedfordshire has recently run an Enterprise Day for the entire school.
From the outside you would be forgiven for wondering what producing a version of the musical Grease or doing military exercises on the school field has to do with enterprise, but the deputy headmistress Michele Rhodes explains.
"It's enterprise because they're working in teams and they're working together to develop skills," she says.
"And also it's about building their confidence. Enterprise is partly about a set of attitudes and capabilities, it isn't just about business experience, so what the students are doing today is finding out a little bit more about how they work in a team, what makes them effective."
So can you be taught to be an entrepreneur or are people simply born that way?
Professor Steven Currall of the London Business School thinks the answer to that is straightforward.
"I think it can be taught at a very early age, I think through role models and examples it can be reinforced and I am convinced that many different kinds of people can become successful entrepreneurs."
Mapped out futures
Meanwhile our young entrepreneurs are not showing any signs of slowing down.
Sarah is ploughing some of the profits from her company into a new flat and she is now planning her next venture - a removals business.
While Jake continues churning out his nautical napkins, he is also working on business number two - selling surfing gear to children.
And Oliver? Well he is heading in a different direction altogether.
Once he has finished his A-levels next year he hopes to go onto to study at Oxford University and eventually become a corporate lawyer!
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Jake started his business because he wanted a yacht
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So you probably should not be too surprised that youngsters are setting up businesses at an earlier and earlier age.
Just one thing - Sarah is aged 20, Oliver is 17 and Jake is 10.
So how did they begin?
Yacht profits
Two years ago, when he was just eight, Jake Lunn was on holiday with his parents on a friend's yacht, leafing through some sailing magazines when a particularly flashy boat caught his eye.
Jake promptly declared that he was going to buy it.
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Increasing numbers of parents and teenagers feel that entrepreneurship is a suitable career choice
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But his dad Nick told him that if he was to afford the ship of his dreams then he would have to earn some serious cash.
"We all started teasing him and said if you want to earn enough money to afford a super-yacht, you'd better start earning now."
It was there that Jake's business idea for making personalised printed napkins for yachts was born; Nautical-napkins.co.uk was launched.
With some financial help from his dad, Jake started up the business with a second-hand printing press bought for £750.
"We did a deal which meant for that £750, for every time he sold a set of napkins he gave us half and kept half for himself until he'd paid back the £750," explains Nick.
"Well he's done that now and now he gets to keep all of the profit rather than half of the profit."
He might be just 10 years old, but Jake certainly has a head for the figures.
"Each napkin costs 50p and I earn a profit of about 25p," he says.
"I've got a profit of over £2,000. I have about £1,000 in my bank account at the moment."
But he is not afraid to spend his hard earned cash.
He has already bought a drum kit, a guitar and a surf board.
Large shoes
Seventeen-year-old Oliver Bridge turned a personal problem - his large feet - into a business opportunity when he set up a company selling big shoes.
Oliver contacted companies to sell their big shoes online
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"I had a look on the internet. Not that much competition from the big stores and I thought OK, I'll go in for it," he says.
He got in touch with shoe manufacturers and arranged to sell their biggest sizes through his own online store Biggerfeet.co.uk.
"I'd got all of the stuff in place and the first couple of weeks of July last year I spent 10 days building my website," he says.
"Then it all just came together and from then on just started selling.
"Within the first half hour of my website being online I had an order. Since then it's skyrocketed. Sales have just gone through the roof."
Self starter
Entrepreneur number three, Sarah Green, is something of a veteran with more than five years experience in the world of business.
Sarah started her first business when she was 12
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At the age of 18 she started an online furniture company, 1st-for-furniture.co.uk, which, in only its second year of trading, is expected to hit a turnover of almost £400,000.
Her dad, Andy Green, explains where she got her flair for business from.
At the age of 12 Sarah was already earning a wage doing a regular paper round and it was while on her deliveries that she spotted an opportunity.
"She saw a market that part of her round was old age pensioners whose gardens were looking like wilderness years," says Andy.
"So she made up fliers on the computer, put them through and in the space of two weeks she was cutting eight gardens every other Sunday, which was great for a kid of 12 who was coming home with £40 to £50 in her pocket."
Teaching talent
The talents and aspirations of these three young entrepreneurs are exactly what the government is trying to tap into with a new scheme for enterprise and training.
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It's enterprise because they're working in teams and they're working together to develop skills
Michele Rhodes
Deputy headmistress Hastingsbury School |
Chancellor Gordon Brown has committed £180m of taxpayers' money to provide secondary school children with a taste for the world of business by giving them five days of so called Enterprise Training.
Hastingsbury School in Bedfordshire has recently run an Enterprise Day for the entire school.
From the outside you would be forgiven for wondering what producing a version of the musical Grease or doing military exercises on the school field has to do with enterprise, but the deputy headmistress Michele Rhodes explains.
"It's enterprise because they're working in teams and they're working together to develop skills," she says.
"And also it's about building their confidence. Enterprise is partly about a set of attitudes and capabilities, it isn't just about business experience, so what the students are doing today is finding out a little bit more about how they work in a team, what makes them effective."
So can you be taught to be an entrepreneur or are people simply born that way?
Professor Steven Currall of the London Business School thinks the answer to that is straightforward.
"I think it can be taught at a very early age, I think through role models and examples it can be reinforced and I am convinced that many different kinds of people can become successful entrepreneurs."
Mapped out futures
Meanwhile our young entrepreneurs are not showing any signs of slowing down.
Sarah is ploughing some of the profits from her company into a new flat and she is now planning her next venture - a removals business.
While Jake continues churning out his nautical napkins, he is also working on business number two - selling surfing gear to children.
And Oliver? Well he is heading in a different direction altogether.
Once he has finished his A-levels next year he hopes to go onto to study at Oxford University and eventually become a corporate lawyer!
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