Former Second Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Moses Ali, a soldier, a former rebel commander, cabinet minister, and one of Uganda’s most enduring political figures, is dead. He was 87. Writing on X, President Museveni eulogised Ali as someone who provided service to his country for a long time, as a soldier and a political leader….
Ministers Balaam Barugahara and Justine Nameere have spent the past few days touring Mbale and Bulambuli, catching civil servants off guard and ordering arrests on the spot. Ghost workers and pupils have been uncovered. A headteacher was arrested for allegedly inflating pupil numbers while a district engineer was remanded over a bridge built with black…
CBS Radio, a very popular station in Buganda, was closed in September 2009 after it was accused of inciting violence, which sparked off riots in Buganda. CBS’s closure became a hot political issue in Buganda in the lead-up to the 2011 elections, and some senior NRM officials feared that the party would perform dismally in…
As Buganda celebrates 33 years since the kingdom was restored, Bbeg Media digs deep into some of the historical events that have shaped the kingdom’s social, political, and economic trajectory. One of them is the 1961 Buganda Agreement, signed in London on October 9, 1961, by Colonial Secretary Iain Macleod and Buganda’s then Prime Minister…
In September 2009, following riots in Buganda after Kabaka Mutebi had been stopped from touring Bugerere, President Museveni accused CBS Radio of inciting violence and ordered its immediate closure. The station was switched off the air not by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) but by an enthusiastic army officer who led a team of security…
As Buganda commerates 33 years sinc Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi was enthroned, Bbeg Media delves into some of the historical issues that have shaped the kingdom’s fortunes. In this article, we bring you the full text of the 1900 Buganda Agreement which defined the relationship between Buganda and Britain. One of the contentious isssues remains…
As part of Bbeg Media’s history series in commemoration of 33 years since Kabaka Mutebi was enthroned, we reproduce the WILL of his father, Sir Edward Muteesa II. The will was written in August 1956, 13 years before his death. It was authenticated by Andrew Frederick Mpanga on March 3, 1970, in London. ************************************************************************************************ I,…
On July 31, Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi will mark 33 years on the throne. Kabaka Mutebi officially succeeded his father, Ssekabaka Edward Mutesa II, on July 31, 1993. Mutebi’s mother was Sarah Nalule Kisosonkole, and in 1954, she became the fifth wife of Kabaka Muteesa II. Kabaka Muteesa II had two children with Nalule, Kabaka…
Thursday, November 19, 1942, was an important day in the history of the Baganda. Even though World War II was raging, it was a day characterised by pomp because it was both the birthday and coronation of Kabaka Edward Muteesa II. Officially named Edward Muteesa II, he was popularly known simply as King Freddie. He…
Two years ago, Agather Atuhaire and Dr Jimmy Spire Ssentongo were labelled witch-hunters. They were accused of chasing clout, taking foreign money, and trying to bring down the former speaker, Anita Among. This week, some of the people they accused of stealing public money during their social media campaign exposing mismanagement of resources at Parliament…
MORRISON RWAKAKAMBA Uganda wants to grow its economy to $500 billion by 2040. That ambition will only be achieved if the country has enough reliable and affordable electricity to power industries, agriculture, homes, transport and digital services. Uganda currently has more than 2,000 megawatts of installed electricity generation capacity, most of it from hydropower. However,…
He is a former minister in President Museveni’s cabinet. He also has several children. More than 15 years ago, it was reported that the minister had left his blood sample at one of the hospitals in Kampala. This is the ONLY hospital where his women must give birth. So if a woman claimed that she…
By Catherine Psomgen For decades, corporate social responsibility (CSR) across Africa has largely revolved around donations, charity drives, and short-term community interventions. While these initiatives remain important, they often fall short of creating lasting, systemic change. Increasingly, the future of impactful corporate responsibility lies in sustainable investments that develop people, strengthen institutions, and shape future…
By Rashid Ssemambo Uganda once again finds itself at a familiar intellectual crossroads following the appointment of Dr Lawrence Muganga as Minister of State for Internal Affairs while holding dual citizenship of Uganda and Canada. The storm in a teacup stems from supposed “constitutional” and “legal” interpretations circulating on social media regarding the Uganda Citizenship…
By Sarah Bireete In recent debates on leadership and accountability, male chauvinists have increasingly weaponised the case of Anita Among to discredit women in leadership as a whole. Instead of interrogating individual conduct on its own merits, they present her example as “proof” that women are unfit to lead. This line of argument is not…
Two prominent people have named their children after Dr Kizza Besigye, the former FDC president. One of them is Simon Muyanga Lutaaya, a journalist-cum-politician, who was once a staunch supporter of Besigye. Lutaaya decamped to NRM. The second is a female politician, who, like Lutaaya, has since left FDC. Which two prominent independence-era politicians died…
By Phillip Karugaba Your Excellency, you congratulated NRM MPs for passing the Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026, and dismissed its critics as shameful and disgusting. You invoked the 1971 coup as a cautionary tale about foreign interference. Respectfully, this response addresses not only what your statement said, but also what it did not say. There…
Everything that had been built over nearly four years at the Nile Basin Initiative was taken away. “I believed in the work. I believed in the organisation,” said Matthew Rumanyika, who had joined NBI on 15 September 2020 as an accountant on a one-year renewable contract. Year after year, the required performance standard was met,…
By Dr Sarah Bireete The Attorney General has significantly amended the controversial Protection of Sovereignty Bill. However, no amount of redrafting can cure what remains its Achilles heel. The certificate of financial implications that accompanied the Bill to Parliament does not comply with the law. The Bill is therefore invalid. A certificate of financial implications…
Before the water system arrived, 17-year-old Daniel would herd his family’s cattle over 10 kilometres across the parched landscape of Kotido District, searching for water, every day. The journey consumed hours. The animals struggled. His family barely had enough water for basic needs. Daniel’s experience mirrors the reality for communities across Uganda’s cattle corridor, where…
Surging coffee consumption in China is driving a sharp increase in Uganda’s coffee exports to the Asian market, Chinese officials have said. Fan Xuecheng, charge d’affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Uganda, told the meeting, which was also attended by a delegation of Chinese investors, that a growing number of Chinese companies operating…
By Asiimwe Jonard “The person who eats the grain before the harvest will always be a slave to the one who owns the granary.” This African proverb reflects the economic history of the continent. For decades, Africa has exported its wealth in raw form, only to import finished goods at higher prices. Uganda now stands…
By Mumba Kalifungwa As Uganda approaches the long-anticipated milestone of first oil, it does so at a moment of contradiction in the global energy narrative. On one hand, the world is accelerating towards a low-carbon future, with growing consensus on the need to scale up renewable energy. On the other hand, recent geopolitical shocks, including…
By Priscilla Najjuma Forget stiff corporate headshots and formulaic social media feeds. In Uganda, where hospitality runs deep, the entrepreneurial spirit is vibrant, and the handshake still carries weight, personal branding is less about a manufactured persona and more about an authentic, deeply rooted legacy. It is about being the delicious, consistent, and memorable “matooke”…
By Magelah Peter Gwayaka In 2021, Absa Uganda froze both my personal and organizational accounts without any prior communication. No one reached out to explain what was happening. It felt like arrogance, like we didn’t matter enough to deserve even a basic explanation. Their compliance officer showed no interest in resolving the issue and kept…
By Dr Patrick Wakida Uganda has set out an ambitious economic transformation plan aimed at expanding its economy tenfold, from $50bn in the 2023/24 financial year to $500bn by 2040, under what is known as the Tenfold Growth Strategy. The strategy, launched in 2023, is designed to position the country as a competitive player in…
During the NRM Kyakwanzi retreat of February 2014, Evelyn Anite tabled the motion to have President Museveni as the sole party candidate in 2016. The move was meant to weaken Amama Mbabazi’s bid for the presidency, which it did. Yet as Anite started garnering signatures from MPs for her motion, two ministers said to be…
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….
