Family ties are shaping Parliament. People who die in office are increasingly succeeded by close relatives — children, spouses or even siblings — and often with strong support from political parties and local communities. At least five members of the current Parliament have succeeded their relatives, and in previous Parliaments, multiple members did as well….
Yesterday, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) delegates conference at Kololo Independence Grounds was marked by intense political developments, strategic victories, and surprising withdrawals, signaling shifts within the ruling party’s leadership ahead of the 2026 elections. One of the biggest victors was Jacqueline Mbabazi, wife of former Prime Minister John Patrick Amama Mbabazi, who was elected…
“We are THE KAMPALA JOURNAL. “The Truth Command Centre. It starts here.” That’s the tagline of The Kampala Journal’s official X account, which has 45,442 followers. It’s boisterous. It’s emphatic. But one problem with it, it is not accurate. In a country where many people eat and drink politics, few accounts on X stir as…
Yesterday during NRM’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, former speaker Rebecca Kadaga made a passionate plea to be retained as the party’s second national vice chairman. Kadaga faces stiff competition from Speaker Anita Among. Efforts to have one of the candidates step down for another have failed. Here is Kadaga’s speech in full. ****************************************************** Your…
By Bob Twinomugisha Africa’s structural transformation is progressing slowly, raising questions about why economic growth hasn’t shifted resources from low- to high-productivity sectors. Agriculture, employing over half of Africa’s workforce and contributing one-fifth of GDP, grows at a sluggish 0.37% annual total factor productivity, below the global 0.74%. Africa remains at the bottom of global…
In a city where boda boda riders and motorists dodge potholes like a clever hare evading a hunter’s trap, one name often sparks heated debates: Hamis Kiggundu. Known simply as Ham, this youthful businessman has built a vast empire in real estate, agriculture, and more, rising faster than a matooke plant in fertile Buganda soil….
Digital financial literacy is crucial in today’s rapidly evolving digital age, where financial transactions increasingly occur online. As money transitions from physical cash to digital formats like mobile money and e-commerce, understanding how to navigate these platforms securely is essential for personal safety, financial security, and overall well-being. The wisdom shared by Rose Tumwemere in…
Mary Karooro Okurut, whose candle burned out yesterday at 70, did not sire any biological children, but she was a mother to many. She embraced motherhood through mentorship. Former students who went through her guidance at Makerere University recall her as a guiding force and motherly touch. “She was a mother to many,” recalled one…
By Oweyegha-Afunaduula The news of the demise of environmentalist Frank Muramuzi early yesterday, ( August 11 2025), found me when I was still in bed recuperating from an illness. I had not heard that he was sick. All the time I was involved in environmental struggles in Uganda, East Africa, Nile Basin and the World,…
President Museveni follows only 22 individuals/institutions on his X account. He has 3,640,655 followers as of mid-day August 11, 2025. This is not surprising. What is, is the choice of people or institutions that he follows. For instance, Museveni does not follow the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) account-@MODVA_UPDF. As the commander in chief, some…
By Arnold Katongole The week-long celebration of Ugandan generosity ended on a high note at Ndere Cultural Centre as hundreds of local givers, activists, and community leaders converged for the Gathering of Givers, the flagship closing event of Philanthropy Week 2025. Under the theme “Generosity that Serves, Stays, and Sustains,” the event brought together grassroots…
By Ivan Opio The National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED), led by Joseph Kabuleta, has faced significant internal strife, culminating in the dismissal of key figures Moses Matovu and Charles Basajja. Their actions, driven by divergent motives, threatened the party’s unity and mission as Uganda approaches the 2026 elections. Kabuleta’s decisive move to oust these individuals…
James Garuga Musinguzi, who passed away today, was a prominent figure in the Kigezi sub-region and Uganda in general, known not only for his business acumen but also for his philanthropy and political activism. In death, he has been described by many as a kind-hearted soul, a financier of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC)…
Arnold Anderson Katongole Once considered a subject too abstract or too elite for young people, philanthropy has experienced a transformation in Uganda. Until only a few years ago, any effort to involve youth in such discussions would likely have been met with blank stares, not because of indifference, but due to a lack of direction…
Arnold Anderson Katongole Philanthropy is a term frequently encountered in discussions about social welfare and community support, yet its definition can often be elusive. At its core, many people conflate philanthropy with charity, seeing them as synonymous. However, a deeper examination reveals that while they share common elements, they serve distinct purposes and operate on…
In the four years Don Wanyama has been at the helm of the Vision Group, the multi-media company has made losses in three of them. Wanyama, President Museveni’s former press secretary, took over the reins from Robert Kabushenga in April 2021. After one year, Vision Group reported that turnover of Shs111.4 billion and a profit…
In an interview with Daily Monitor in 2019, Dr. Racheal Mbabazi, then working as a veterinary doctor at the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC) in Entebbe, said there is only one thing she can’t do without: prayer. “I rise up at 5am to do my morning devotion and prayer,” she said adding that on…
By Brian K Tindyebwa In a clear show of ingratitude Jimmy Akena, who he has supported and treated so well like his own son since 2006, has lately been accusing President Museveni of being the one fermenting problems for Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC), a party his father Milton Obote and mother Miria Kalule Obote have…
Motorcycle-taxis are one of the fastest and most convenient ways to get around Uganda’s congested capital, Kampala. But they are also the most dangerous. Though they account for one-third of public transport trips taking place within the city, police reports suggest motorcycles were involved in 80% of all road-crash deaths registered in Kampala in 2023….
In the Kiteezi landfill collapse trial, the prosecution’s next line of argument leans heavily on a series of internal audit reports and technical warnings allegedly “ignored” by the executive durector and deputy executive directors. But beneath the legal posturing lies a deeper truth: these reports were advisory, not executive instructions; institutional, not personal; and routed,…
The prosecution alleges that the Executive Director (ED) and Deputy Executive Director (DED) failed to act on critical warnings contained in internal audit and technical reports related to the Kiteezi Landfill (KLF). However, this line of argument fundamentally misrepresents the role of internal assurance functions, distorts administrative structures, and ignores both procedural norms and statutory…
By Morrison Rwakakamba There are shrill voices and loud whispers that in Rukungiri District, one of the candidates running in the NRM parliamentary primaries spent a whopping Shs 3 billion on Election Day alone to pay voters to line up behind (vote), with threats of retribution if they didn’t. It was a combination of “honey”…
MBARARA-The first time Robert stepped onto the campus of Mbarara University of Science and Technology, he believed he was entering the halls of a prestigious institution that had trained some of the country’s top doctors. The university is the second-oldest public university in Uganda after Makerere University, and it’s famed for its focus on science…
By Brian K Tindyebwa Though it was generally an incident-free exercise in Uganda’s more than 72,000 villages, the just-ended NRM primaries election cycle registered several hiccups. These have caused animosity among party’s rank and file-with many seniors, including ministers, threatening to run as independents. The ruling party’s opponents had already started salivating in the hope…
A quiet institutional tragedy is playing out in Uganda; one not of collapsed infrastructure but of collapsed justice. In the name of accountability, the State is now prosecuting its own reformers, targeting senior executives at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) for a national failure they neither authored nor controlled. The former deputy executive director and…
In Uganda today, a troubling trend is unfolding one that strikes at the very heart of justice, governance and professional integrity. Two former senior executives of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) including the executive director Dorothy Kisaka and her deputy, David Luyimbazi find themselves at the center of criminal prosecution over the tragic collapse…
By Brian K Tindyebwa In a country where the so-called leading opposition party can’t even organize a credible delegates conference, NRM deserves commendation for organizing countrywide elections. Today (Thursday 17th July), the whole country is talking and our vibrant media having a field day as close to 3,000 leaders compete to become NRM flag bearers…
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) goes to primaries today to choose parliamentary candidates who will carry the party’s flag in the 2026 elections. Voting was scheduled to start at 10 a.m. across 72,000 villages. In many ways, the NRM primaries remain a microcosm of Uganda’s polarized politics. Yet, for all the democratic pomp, NRM primaries…
Augustine Kiwanuka The tragic murder of David Mutaaga, 69, and his wife, Deborah Florence Mutaaga, 62, in their Entebbe home has shaken the nation and exposed serious gaps in Uganda’s ability to investigate violent crime. The couple, who had recently returned from Europe to enjoy their retirement, were found brutally murdered, sparking a high-profile investigation…
Morrison Rwakakamba Having campaigned under the banner of making the United States the “Crypto capital” of the world, in his first week in office, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order intended to support the growth of the United States crypto industry, signaling an intention to approach crypto and block chain regulation with the objective…
Justice Prof. George Wilson Kanyeihamba, one of Uganda’s most distinguished legal minds passed away this morning at Nakasero Hospital where he had been admitted for some time. The cause of his death is not yet clear but he had been unwell over the last five years. He was 85 years of age. His passing has…
President Museveni has launched the upgrade of an 87.6-kilometer road, including the construction of a ferry and bridge landing site, in Kayunga District in central Uganda. Museveni, accompanied by Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zhang Lizhong, flagged off the two-year construction of the Kayunga-Bbaale-Galiraya road on Friday in the town of Kayunga. The project, undertaken by…
Kenya’s President William Ruto has ordered police to shoot protesters targeting businesses in the legs, ensuring they are incapacitated but not killed. The UN and human rights groups have accused the police of using excessive force in the recent wave of anti-government protests – 31 people were killed on Monday, according to a state-run body….
Crypto.com, one of the earliest players in the crypto space, has struck a deal with Emirates, one of the world’s most renowned airlines, in a bid to bring crypto payments to mainstream global travel, according to a press release issued on Wednesday. As part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on July 9, the…
Morrison Rwakakamba I have seen a letter from Uganda Communications Commission suspending programs hosted by Radio Boona FM Moderator Mr Namanya Kakyene. Kakyene is accused of overriding broadcasting standards. The decision by @UCC_Official has further polarized opinion and heated-up political discourse in Rukungiri district with supporters of Kakyene sounding voices of foul play and bias…
Smoked meats, like those used in popular Ugandan dishes such as smoked fish or goat, are loved for their rich, smoky flavour. However, the smoking process can pose health risks, according to experts. “When we smoke meats, the smoke can create harmful substances called carcinogens,” said Beth Czerwony, a registered dietitian from Cleveland Clinic in…
Timothy Kalyegira describes himself variously, depending on the context. He is a journalist, social critic, and photographer. He is also a political historian, basing on his writings. Kalyegira has spent more than two decades dissecting Uganda’s political, social, and cultural landscape with a sharp, often controversial lens. Yet it is his recent interactions with Grok,…
Nine Chinese hybrid goats, also known as Jianzhou big-eared goats, have arrived in Uganda to boost goat meat production and livestock industry. The goats — three males and six females — landed at Entebbe International Airport on the night June 30 after a journey of more than 10 hours from Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province….
As the sun rose over the Rift Valley escarpment in Uganda’s western district of Kikuube, 45-year-old Jennifer Nyangoma made her way to a much-anticipated free medical camp. For weeks, villagers in this region bordering the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo had heard of a healthcare outreach organized by a Chinese medical team from Kampala,…
In a historic peace deal signed Friday, leaders of DRC and Rwanda agreed to end a yearslong war that largely played out in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces along the eastern edge of DRC. But people here say the agreement is far from a guarantee that violence in their region will end. In fact,…
Roughly nine out of ten members of the newly formed National Executive Committee of the Democratic Front (DF) are from the central region, revealing a deep regional imbalance in the allocation of places, an evaluation by Bbeg Media has established. The Political Parties and Organisations Act mandates all registered political parties and organizations to have…
President Museveni, in his capacity as the chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), has called for peace in the escalating Iran-Israel conflict, urging both nations to embrace diplomacy and mutual recognition. In a statement on his X handle, Museveni condemned extremism and historical denials on both sides, advocating for a two-state solution to resolve the…
Sheikh Siliman Kasule Ndirangwa was laid to rest in Lwengo yesterday amidst grumbling from some of his relatives and friends about how he had been treated by the Kibuli Muslim faction which he served as Supreme Mufti. Hundreds of mourners who showed up to bid him farewell were left wondering why Kibuli did not offer…
Shartsi Kutesa Musherure, the incumbent MP for Mawogola North in Sembabule and daughter of former Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa, has withdrawn her candidacy from the NRM primaries for the Mawogola North parliamentary seat, scheduled for July 16, 2025. The announcement today (June 22, 2025) on her X handle just days after her nomination, shifts…
Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema has abruptly ended the national mourning period of former President Edgar Lungu in an escalating stand-off between the family and the authorities about his burial plans. It follows the last-minute cancellation of the return of Lungu’s body from South Africa by his family on Wednesday, leaving the country uncertain about when…
Timothy Kalyegira, a renowned social and political critic, replied to a post on X yesterday by saying he was “hiding in the basement.” Why? Hours earlier, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), had written that he was ready to pay Shs 10 million to anybody who could deliver Kalyegira to him. Kalyegira…
Dennis Enap, 39, is a lawyer and dedicated member of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), has been politically active for the past 15 years. Recently nominated to contest for the UPC presidency against the incumbent, Jimmy Akena, Enap is confident in his ability to defeat Akena, whom he has challenged in court over the legality…
Uganda’s vanilla exports more than doubled in 2024, generating $16.6 million (approx Shs 60 billion) in revenue, authorities announced Tuesday. Uganda exported 604 metric tonnes of vanilla in 2024, up from 266 metric tonnes the previous year, said Fred Bwino Kyakulaga, minister of state for Agriculture at a press briefing in Kampala. “Vanilla has become…
It is not clear whether Gen Moses Ali knew or comprehended what was taking place. Seated in the front seat of his ministerial SUV, Ali, 86, was seen rocking his head back and forth, as if he was listening to a lingala tune. A few feet away from him, Dr Tanga Odoi, the chairperson of…
The Uganda Rugby Union (URU) has promised to host a successful Rugby Africa Cup of 2025. Uganda will host the tournament, also a World Cup 2027 qualifier from July 8-9 at the Nelson Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, capital of Uganda. Godwin Kayangwe, President of the Union, said Uganda is working round the clock to…
