By John B. Habumugisha Uganda’s ambition to connect with the global economy dates back to the 1850s, during the era of early explorers. The railways and ports built then laid the foundation for regional trade and integration, many of which still support African economies today. More than a century later, East Africa is undergoing another…
ASUMAN KIYINGI Gawaya Tegulle’s recent warning about judicial appointments should dispel any lingering belief that Uganda’s governance crisis is accidental. He argues that tampering with the bench is equivalent to snapping the spinal cord of a republic. The question is no longer whether the republic is in danger, but whether it still meaningfully exists. Earlier…
During one of the meetings in the negotiations for ‘federo’ between Buganda and the government in 2004, President Museveni took Katikkiro Joseph Mulwanyamuli Ssemwogerere aside. Museveni told him that he would cancel the talks if Ssemwogerere insisted on retaining a certain member on his team, whom Museveni said had a lot of lugezigezi. In the…
By Alemnew Dagnew Tuberculosis (TB) should not depend on where a person is born, as the global burden of the disease remains heavily shaped by inequality. In high-income countries, even a small number of tuberculosis (TB) cases can trigger headlines and swift public health action. Recent incidents in cities such as Seattle and San Francisco…
Dr. Joel Isabirye The debate on the Copyright and Neighboring Rights Amendment Bill 2025 is ongoing in Parliament, and the results of the discussions will be a reform of the act that is expected to improve its contribution to the creative sector in Uganda. However, clause 9 is proving to be contentious. The main issue…
The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) issued a statement from Geneva on Tuesday that was polite, dignified, and retrospective. It spoke of six decades of editorial independence, of a free press built from a Kiswahili-language weekly purchased in 1959, of 30 brands and 62 million digital users, and a legacy of democratic contribution….
BADRU WALUSANSA In recent years, President Museveni has increasingly focused on the challenges facing Uganda’s youth. The president appears to have taken a more deliberate approach to narrowing the gap between his government and young people. Time will tell whether this renewed focus is driven by genuine concern or political calculation. Among the approaches he…
By Kungu Al-mahadi Adam The United States decision to impose sanctions on the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and its senior commanders over alleged support for the March 23 Movement in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has stirred controversy and deepened mistrust between Kigali and Washington. The sanctions accuse Rwanda’s military leadership of materially supporting an…
On February 20, Justice Patricia Mutesi of the High Court ruled in favour of Downtown Investments in its rent dispute with prominent law firm Muwema & Co Advocates. The firm was ordered to vacate the property at Plot 50 Windsor Crescent Road in Kololo owned by Downtown Investments and pay Shs 1.3 billion in arrears…
Uganda’s public debt has risen sharply, largely driven by heavy spending in preparation for the country’s first oil production, the ministry of Finance has said. According to the Debt Sustainability Analysis Report for the 2024/25 financial year, total public debt increased from $25.59 billion in the 2023/24 financial year to $32.24 billion as of June…
By Andrew Musanja As a parent, I live by two calendars. The first is the one on my wall, with birthdays, work deadlines, and family events. The second lives in my head and never lets me rest. It is the school calendar. Term opening dates. Deadline reminders. The quiet countdown to the moment when a…
In 2005, several prominent people in the region died, among them John Garang, the SPLA leader who perished in a chopper crash. There was also Patrick Musisi, the MP for Busiro South, who passed on in May 2025. Kevin Aliro, a very prominent journalist who co-founded Daily Monitor in 1992 and The Observer in 2004,…
Severe funding cuts are pushing Uganda’s refugee health system to the brink of collapse, putting nearly two million refugees at risk of losing access to basic health and nutrition services. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said in a statement that the funding shortfalls have forced the closure of essential health services across refugee settlements in…
Uganda lost an estimated Shs 360 billion in potential revenue last year after failing to host several international conferences it had bid for, according to the latest Auditor General’s report. This loss occurred despite Uganda spending Shs 1.8 billion to try to attract conferences and international conventions to Uganda. The Auditor General faults the Uganda…
She was highly educated and well-regarded in the education sector. In 2006, she joined Parliament as a legislator, and during one of the NRM caucus meetings, Museveni praised her and said he needed such people in cabinet. She told Museveni she preferred to be an Education minister hoping the president would shift Namirembe Bitamazire to…
By John Musinguzi Deep felt congratulations, comrade Gen Yoweri Museveni, Uganda’s ninth president, for winning the contest for your ninth term in office: 1986 to 1990, 1990 to 1996, 1996 to 2001, 2001 to 2006, 2006 to 2011, 2011 to 2016, 2016 to 2021, 2021 to 2026, and now 2026 to 2031. May you rise…
He was a senior NRM official, and in the early 90s, he worked with Ofwono Opondo at the Movement Secretariat. The official was one of the few who had a landline in his office. One day, after he went for a lunch break, Opondo sneaked into his office, sat on his chair, and proceeded to…
In 1974, Prof Khiddu Makubuya became the first Ugandan to be awarded a first-class degree in Law by Makerere University. However, before he could be awarded his first-class degree, the leadership of the Faculty of Law debated the matter. Three of them, including Sam Kalega Njuba, a law lecturer then, said in their view Makubuya…
He was a minister in President Museveni’s cabinet and had a driver who had served him loyally for more than 15 years. He trusted the elderly driver so much and often consulted him on some issues. One day, one of his daughters claimed the driver had made a pass at her. The daughter said the…
Justice Collins Acellam today spared six Nakawa West contenders from being thrown out of the race, including the Leader of the Opposition and the incumbent, Joel Ssenyonyi. After the ruling, Ssenyonyi immediately telephoned the petitioner, Ivan Bwowe. In this imagined, satirical phone call, Bbeg Media captured the tension, relief, and biting humour that followed a…
Uganda has been racing to bring its oil and gas fields into commercial production, a long-awaited milestone that could propel it onto a path of double-digit economic growth from 2026. Oil and gas development is one of four strategic pillars underpinning Uganda’s long-term development plan to expand the economy tenfold — from about $ 50…
In the 8th Parliament, when Janet Museveni was minister of state for Karamoja, an opposition MP stood up and dramatically complained about the poor state of roads in Karamoja. He said he had been in Karamoja the previous week, which led other MPs to burst out into laughter because they had been with the same…
In December 1985, Kenyan president Daniel Arap Moi tried to broker a peace deal between the NRA led by Museveni and Tito Okello Lutwa’s government that had overthrown Milton Obote. However, when the two sides assembled in Nairobi to start the talks, Museveni shook hands with everyone else on Lutwa’s delegation, apart from one person….
As Uganda prepares for the 2026 general elections, a small handheld device is set to play an outsized role in safeguarding the country’s democratic process. Known as the Biometric Voter Verification Kit, or BVVK, the device will be deployed at every polling station to ensure that every vote cast is legitimate, secure and confidential. First…
He was a minister in Museveni’s first cabinet, and during meetings, he was designated to sit near Gen. Moses Ali. But one time, he stood up and said he did not want to sit near Ali. “Why?” Museveni asked. “Your excellency, whenever I look at Hon Moses Ali closely, I see Idi Amin. I beg…
She was a very senior official who later stood for parliament. However initially she did not move with her husband, who was reserved, but at one of the rallies, some voters started asking her “Omwami aliwa?” She initially dodged the concerns, but when it became persistent, she started moving with her husband at her rallies….
As several candidates of the National Unity Platform have quietly withdrawn from parliamentary races in western Uganda, a public war of words has ensued between NUP and the NRM. In this satirical exchange, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, the architect of these withdrawals, insists the exits were voluntary, orderly, and innocent, while NUP president Bobi Wine…
He is a prominent personality. A month before CHOGM in Kampala in 2007, someone hand-delivered to him an invitation to attend a special dinner with Queen Elizabeth at the Serena Hotel during the meeting. He told the emissary that he would attend the dinner on two conditions: First, the government must buy him a new…
During the debate on lifting the presidential term limits in Parliament in 2005, three female legislators stood out and were eventually christened “The Yellow Girls”. They were vocal, often dressed in yellow clothing, and sometimes hung out together at Parliament. Two of them were Hope Mwesigye, the then Kabale Woman MP, and Anifa Kawooya from…
1. One Christmas came at a time when the country was still bitterly divided over a recent return to power. Families debated politics as much as they shared food. What national event had taken place shortly before that Christmas? 2. A man who would later be recognised by the Catholic Church as a martyr was…
During a tense NRM caucus meeting in 2014 as rumours of Amama Mbabazi’s presidential ambitions swirled, a female MP told him to be a “real man” and control his “women”, referring to his wife Jacqueline and sister-in-law Hope Mwesigye, accused of mobilising for his bid. An angered Mbabazi replied that he had only one woman,…
Over the past week, Anthony Natif, an activist, and Ronald Leornard Egesa, a strategist, have gone for each other’s throats over the scandals in the ministry of Works and Transport that implicate Commissioner Winstone Katushabe. The Pandora’s box was opened by Andrew Natumanya, a rouble rouser who goes by the handle @NinyeTabz. Tabz and Natif…
He was partly mentored by Dr Kizza Besigye (and even briefly stayed at his home in Mbuya). He was an active member of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC). However, when he was organising his wedding in the 2000s, he invited most senior FDC officials to his wedding apart from Besigye. He said inviting Besigye…
He was a senior minister but during one cabinet meeting in the 2000s, he ‘froze’ while submitting. At that point, he asked Museveni for a small break to ‘recharge’ himself with some Waragi since he had carried a small bottle. Museveni accepted and after 10 minutes the minister came back, sharp and made a moving…
Uganda’s economy is forecast to expand by 10.4% by the end of the 2026/2027 financial year, up from an estimated 6.6% at the end of the 2025/2026 financial year. The Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development released a five-year National Budget Framework Paper last week, which indicates that the commencement of oil production will…
He was a senior government official. He fell ill but recovered. His wife and close relatives found it fit to organise thanksgiving prayers to thank God for healing him. On the day of the prayers, with the priests already seated, the official declined to leave the bedroom. He asked his wife, “Why did you call…
He was a long-serving minister in Museveni’s cabinet. When he was posted to a new ministry, one of the officials, on a Friday, went to his office with a piece of paper and told him, “Sir, sign here for your weekend allowance.” He asked the official: “On which vote do you draw this allowance?” The…
He was a daring young journalist in the mid-1990s. One day, he received a tip that the then Speaker, James Wapakhabulo, was having a secret love affair with his secretary. For days, he shadowed Wapakhabulo. One evening, he saw him entering a bar along Dewinton Road with the secretary. Next day, he went to Wapa’s…
In 2005, VP Gilbert Bukenya was summoned to a meeting by President Museveni. But upon reaching the State House, Nakasero, two officials, who were junior to Bukenya, blocked him from accessing the meeting. One of them asked him, “Who invited you here? You are not needed. Go away.” Bukenya drove away, very angry but the…
At the start of a meeting with senior NRM officials in 2005, President Museveni informed them that he had been advised to have enough rest or else he might go blind. Therefore, at 10.00 PM, Museveni left for bed but told the officials to continue with the meeting and brief him later. Which minister locked…
The cumulative number of measles deaths in four districts in Karamoja sub-region has risen to 32 since the outbreak was declared a month ago, the ministry of Health has said. The ministry reported a cumulative total of 17 child deaths due to the disease in Napak, seven in Nakapiripirit, four in Abim, and four in…
As Amama Mbabazi gained traction ahead of the 2016 elections, President Museveni in October 2015 invited some senior party leaders to State House Entebbe to lay strategies to foil Mbabazi’s bid. At State House, the leaders were shocked to find Museveni in the company of a female opposition politician. Kasule Lumumba, the then SG, feared…
In 1989, NRM tabled a controversial proposal in the NRC to extend its rule by a further five years. NRM argued that it needed to institute a raft of reforms, including the drafting of the new constitution. In 1986, Museveni had said that NRM would only lead for four years. Which officer stormed a media…
In the 1990s, Tshala Muana, the Congolese singer and dancer who died in 2022, was a common presence in Uganda. At her shows, she often danced and dressed provocatively (long slited dresses). Her shows were mainly graced by VIPs (mostly men). Which Gen Saleh’s aide contacted Greenland Bank to buy shares in UCB on behalf…
This photo is historic in more ways than one. It comprises four individuals who helped shape Uganda’s political trajectory from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s. Which senior government official’s home was searched after Besigye fled to exile in 2001? Can you identify them? You can start from left to right or right to…
A senior female politician was scheduled to officially open a workshop in a Jinja hotel in the late 1990s. However, moments before she took to the podium, she was tipped that her husband, whom she had left in Kampala, had allegedly brought a suspected lover to their home. Which minister locked himself in the bathroom…
When Dr Kizza Besigye beat the 24-hour security surveillance and fled to exile after the 2001 elections, Museveni was very furious. Museveni suspected that Besigye had been aided by some people, high up in government. Which army officer carried Otafiire in a sack when UPDF and Rwanda troops clashed in Kisangani? But he zeroed one…
In the mid-2000s, President Museveni went to the US with a group of senior government officials to try to attract investors to Uganda. In one of the meetings, they met Warren Buffett, who actually expressed interest. However, a senior government official told Buffet that he would have to first go through some procedures, like registering…
He was a powerful minister, but after the 2006 elections, President Museveni dropped him from the cabinet. The news of his sacking found him at his palatial house in one of Kampala’s leafy suburbs. Which MP overloaded his plate during a state dinner and Museveni barked at him? Angry, he locked himself in one of…
When Idah Nantaba was appointed minister of state for Lands in 2012, some MPs led by Speaker Rebecca Kadaga declined to approve her appointment, saying she ‘was not fit to be a minister. However, in one of the meetings at State House Entebbe attended by the then Secretary General Kasule Lumumba and other female MPs,…
