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Residents of Busoga have expressed hope that the ongoing upgrade of the Iganga-Luuka-Kamuli Road from murrum to tarmac will spur economic growth in the sub-region.

The Shs300 billion project, which is being undertaken by Arab Contractors Ltd, is expected to be completed within 36 months.

Ms Lydia Mbwali, a resident of Walugogo Valley in Iganga District, said for decades, residents of Busoga Sub-region have endured poor roads characterised by potholes, dust, and a muddy, virtually impassable state during the rainy season.

‘The road is expected to boost trade, agriculture, and transport across the Busoga region, one of Uganda’s most densely populated areas,’ Mr Mbwali said.

Mr Johnson Bukusuba, a businessman in Luuka Town, said farmers, traders, transporters and travellers have long complained about high transport costs, vehicle breakdowns, and difficulty accessing markets.

‘We have been waiting for this road for many years. Its completion will completely change our lives,’ Mr Bukusuba, said.

‘The farmers will finally transport their produce to markets in Iganga and Kamuli without losses, and traders like us will be able to restock our shops more easily,’ Mr Bukusuba added.

The locals expect transport fares to reduce after the project is completed. They also look forward to improved access to social services such as schools and health centres, especially for residents in remote villages.

Currently, travelling from Iganga Town to Luuka Town costs Shs10,000 on a motorcycle. This high fare is due to the poor state of the road, forcing boda boda riders to charge exorbitantly for the short distance.

Boosting economic growth

Locals believe the new road will become an economic lifeline for Busoga, a region that relies heavily on agriculture and trade.

Mr Medi Balikoowa, a boda boda rider in Kamuli Town, said the improved transport network will ease the movement of sugarcane, maize, rice, and other produce to major markets in Jinja and Kampala.

‘It will also attract investors to establish new businesses and industries along the corridor. This is a game-changer for Busoga,’ Mr Balikoowa said.

The road project falls under the government’s broader infrastructure development plan aimed at improving rural connectivity and supporting regional integration.

Ms Scovia Nabirye, a teacher in Kamuli District, said the upgraded road will ensure safety of travellers.

She added: ‘It will open up new economic opportunities for traders, farmers, and ordinary residents.’ Busoga leaders expressed hope that the upgraded road would resolve rampant poverty and unemployment in the sub-region by spurring economic development. The Iganga-Luuka-Kamuli Road is also expected to foster social unity by connecting previously isolated communities.

The LC5 Chairperson of Luuka District, Mr Simon Wakaze, said the people of Busoga are grateful to the NRM government for fulfilling its long-awaited promise of upgrading the road.

‘This is a promise that has taken long to be fulfilled, but we are now happy that it has finally become a reality,’ Mr Wakaze said.

He urged leaders and residents in the region to support the contractor and ensure that the project is completed smoothly and on time.

Mr Wakaze said Luuka is a major sugarcane-growing area, and the new road will greatly benefit farmers by improving the transportation of sugarcane and other agricultural produce to factories and markets. He explained that the road will connect to Kayunga District and serve as one of the key highways in the region, enhancing trade and movement between districts.

‘Once this road is complete, the face of Busoga will change,’ Mr Balikoowa said, adding: ‘It will bring businesses closer, make life easier, and give our youth new hope.’

The Resident District Commissioner of Luuka District, Mr Michael Kibwika, said: ‘We have already secured the contractor, who is now on site. The contractor has brought in the necessary equipment and recruited workers, creating jobs for our people in the region.’

Mr Salah Radwan, the general manager of Arab Contractors Uganda Limited, said the company would execute the project on time. ‘We are ready for work. We have already started and purchased the quarry that will supply the materials needed for construction,’ Mr Radwan said.

The site engineer, Mr Abdallah Khedr, said the company had already compensated 18 out of the 19 owners of the rock that will be used as a quarry site for stones to be used on the roadworks.

‘Out of the 19 beneficiaries, 18 have already signed and received their compensation directly into their bank accounts. Only one person has not yet signed. We have fully compensated the rightful owners of the rock,’ Mr Khedr said.

Background

According to the National Household Report of 2023/2024, Busoga Sub-region remains the poorest sub-region in Uganda, with 44 percent of its population living below the poverty line.

This means Busoga’s poverty rate is significantly higher than the national average of 21.4 percent. The report indicates that Busoga, which comprises 12 districts: Namutumba, Kaliro, Bugweri, Mayuge, Namayingo, Bugiri, Buyende, Kamuli, Luuka, Iganga, Jinja City, and Jinja District, has a total population of 3,584,730 people.

Uganda’s coffee processors have set their sights on the global stage as the country’s coffee export earnings soared to $2.2b in the last financial year.

Having dispatched their first products on International Coffee Day, Inspire Africa Coffee chief executive officer Nelson Tugume said the company is ready to position Ugandan brands alongside the world’s biggest names.

‘Of course, there are challenges; logistics, market protectionism, and regulatory hurdles, but these are lessons we will navigate as we grow,’ he said, noting that they had launched four products: drip, roasted ground, roasted beans, and coffee capsules, with a branding that meets world-class standards.

He revealed that Inspire Africa Coffee had already shipped samples and secured early orders from Turkey, China, Russia, the United States, and parts of Europe.

By December 2025, the company expects to be exporting to at least four key markets: Turkey, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Tugume said the venture was built around creating jobs and adding value locally before export.

‘Our goal is not just to sell coffee abroad but to transform livelihoods here at home,’ he said, adding that more product lines are under development as the company strengthens Uganda’s presence in the global coffee value chain.

State Minister for Agriculture Fred Bwino Kyakulaga said Africa produces a large share of the world’s coffee yet earns only a fraction of global returns.

‘Africa earns just $3.6b from coffee, while the global coffee trade generates $460b. We take a very small share. That is why value addition is essential. It’s what enhances our coffee value chain and ensures farmers and processors benefit more from their hard work,’ he said.

Uganda’s focus on value addition comes amid growing international recognition, with Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) recently saying that Ugandan coffee is ranked third best in the world, behind Ethiopia and Kenya, in a study by professional tasters certified by the Coffee Quality Institute.

The study, which evaluated 1,229 samples harvested between 2010 and 2018, awarded Ethiopia 84.88 points, Kenya 84.31, and Uganda 84.05, cementing Uganda’s reputation for producing coffee with a superior flavour.

The office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has sanctioned Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Clive Nsiima’s criminal case file in which he is accused of assaulting a female attendant at a petrol station shop in Kyanja, a Kampala City suburb.

Police sources privy to the case confirmed to the Monitor that the suspect’s file was sanctioned and they were to produce him in court on Friday, but the documents were submitted late.

‘We couldn’t make it in time on Friday. Hopefully, he will be produced in court on Monday,’ a source said.

Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesman Patrick Onyango could either confirm or deny the sanctioning of the preferred charges, but he said they have reached the tail end of their tasks.

ASP Nsiima was seen in a viral video slapping a female shop attendant after she demanded that he pay for the items he and a female friend had picked in on October 7.

The viral video prompted the police to arrest and detain him last week. The spokesman of police, Mr Kituuma Rusoke condemned Nsiima’s action, and he said police were conducting an investigation.

Ms Pellan Atuhumurize, the victim, told the Daily Monitor last week that ASP Nsiima and a woman ordered a pack of condoms and two cans of beers, but they attempted to drive off without paying the bills, prompting her to prevent them from leaving, which angered them, leading to the attack captured on the shop’s CCTV camera.

‘A lady alighted from the car and walked to the counter. She asked me to pack her condoms, which I did. She told me that the money was in the car, so I should follow her and pick it,’ Ms Atuhumurize said.

‘When we reached the car, a gentleman inside the car told me to bring him two cans of Tusker Lite. I went back and brought them.’ Ms Atuhumurize said after handing over the items, the man attempted to drive off.

‘I grabbed his collar to prevent him from driving off without paying the bill. Then he stopped the car and got out. He followed me to the shop. He then started abusing me and other people who were in the shop, the man then slapped me twice,’ Ms Atuhumurize said.

A private security guard attached to Tayari Security, attempted to stop the attack but the police officer continued with his aggression.

The former Police Chief Political Commissar, Mr Asan Kasingye, said on his social media platform that the guard works for Tayari Security, a private security firm he heads.

‘I was the first person to be informed. The security guard you see in the video belongs to @TayarisSecurity. There is even more to this story. I am happy it will be investigated thoroughly. Let the police involve us at the company. For example, a pistol was drawn,’ said Mr Kasingye, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police.

Vivo Energy Uganda, which owns the petrol station, condemned the attack.

‘We strongly condemn any form of violence or misconduct towards our staff or customers. We are in close contact with the attendant to ensure she receives the support she needs, and we are working with the Uganda Police to ensure the perpetrator is held accountable for his actions,’ a statement by Vivo Energy Uganda reads in part.

Other incidents in the country

Last year, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Julius Ahimbisibwe was suspected of shooting his ex-wife and injured her. Months later, SSP Ahimbisibwe was found dead in his home on suspicion that he had taken his life.

In February 2024, the Officer-in-charge of Alebtong District, ASP Moses Acaye, is alleged to have shot dead a civilian he accused of killing his relative in a mob action incident in Adjumani District.

ASP Acaye is still on the run. Another incident happened in December 2024, when a police officer, Constable Charles Bahati, shot dead a truck driver Julius Ssemwaka at Nakasero in Kampala City. Constable Bahati is still on the run.

Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja used the return of the Kampala City Festival yesterday to promise pothole-free roads to the thousands of city residents who attended.

Ms Nabbanja said road construction works in the city are ongoing and assured residents that Kampala will soon be free of dust and potholes.

‘Road network in the city has improved. I know you like good roads, but potholes will soon become history. The President directed that city roads, including the flyover, Jinja Road, and city centre, from Kubiri to Luweero, Nateete, Masaka, Busega, Mityana, be worked on. Works on roads in the industrial area are ongoing. We have also secured funds to work on Mubende Road,’ she said.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by the Executive Director of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Ms Sharifah Buzeki, and the Minister of Kampala and Metropolitan Affairs, Ms Minsa Kabanda, among other guests. Residents have long complained about the poor state of city roads, prompting the city authority to direct contractors to work both day and night.

Recently, officials from the Ministry of Works and Transport met with contractors whose projects had stalled due to delayed payments. The two sides agreed that the contractors would resume work as the government seeks funds to clear the outstanding arrears. Ms Nabbanja also told city residents that President Museveni had directed an increase in Parish Development Model funds allocated to city Saccos to match the growing population.

During his recent tour of Kampala, the President pledged to raise the amount given to PDM beneficiaries from Shs1 million to Shs3 million. The festival was organised by KCCA.

The KCCA Executive Director, Ms Buzeki, praised the Cabinet and President Museveni for approving the return of the festival.

She revealed that the proportion of tarmacked roads in the city is set to rise from the current 35 percent to 87 percent, while garbage collection will increase from 55 tonnes to 185 tonnes.

Air pollution levels, she added, are expected to drop from 40 microns to 25 microns. Ms Buzeki further added that the city plans to revive bus transport, create more work opportunities for residents, and position Kampala as a key tourist destination for East Africans and visitors from beyond. The last city festival was held in 2019.

The festival drew more than 500 exhibitors who gathered at the Kololo Independence Grounds to showcase their products. KCCA uses the festival to celebrate culture, unity, innovation, and social life.

By 7am, exhibitors from the business community and food vendors, who had set up their stalls a day earlier, had already arrived to display and sell a variety of goods and services. The event began with a float procession flagged off at Buganda Road by Ms Buzeki.

The procession moved through Kyaggwe Road, Kampala Road, and the Railway Grounds before heading to Kololo for the main celebrations.

Although an afternoon downpour briefly interrupted the event, organisers described it as a sign of blessings. Festivities continued into the night, with revellers entertained by various performances.

Since its February 2022 launch, the Parish Development Model (PDM) has raised hopes across Uganda. This flagship programme aims to shift 39 percent of households from subsistence to a money-based economy. Each subsistence household in an enterprise group or parish PDM Sacco has received Shs1m on a two-year grace period, and six percent annual interest.

Most funds target agricultural enterprises. Across Ugandan villages, most people have received the cash. But PDM is not just about handing out money. Cash is only one piece of the puzzle. Transformation depends on access to land, skills, quality inputs, market access, and the ability to overcome deep-rooted structural challenges-especially in agriculture, which remains largely rain-fed. The hidden crisis is land pressure and fragmentation.

One of the most urgent challenges facing PDM beneficiaries is the issue of land tenure security and land pressure. Land is a fundamental resource underpinning agricultural production and is vital for economic growth and investment, especially of farm enterprises. According to a 2024 Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) report, only 58 percent of adults have secure land tenure, with just 17 percent owning agricultural land. Uganda’s 2.9 percent population growth rate is among the highest globally, contributing to land fragmentation, particularly in rural areas. With a population density of 190 people per square kilometre, pressure on land is mounting. As a result, households cultivate smaller plots, and in many parishes, farmland is overused or no longer viable for sustained production. Farmers are cultivating land continuously, depleting soil fertility.

Although Ubos reports an average household size of 4.2 acres, some families of up to ten survive on less than half an acre. Land that once produced both food and cash crops is now depleted and yields little. Small parcels hinder the adoption of modern farming practices that could transform production into profitable enterprises, creating a major contradiction to the PDM’s goals.

With soils depleted, farmers are turning to fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides. But the market is flooded with unregulated counterfeit, overpriced products, often misused due to inadequate training. The result is poor yields, environmental damage, health risks, and unsustainable farming. Farmers spend more on soil fertility, pests, and weeds, yet harvests remain low-trapping low-income households who hoped PDM would lift them from poverty.

The belief that Shs1m guarantees success ignores land shortages. True agricultural growth will depend on land security, good inputs, knowledge, infrastructure, and markets. For the PDM to succeed, loans must be seen to build lasting productivity, not an end. The Presidential Four-Acre Model suggests one acre each for cash crops, food, pasture/dairy, and fruit trees.

Yet many beneficiaries have under two acres, some less than one. Their success depends on making small plots highly productive through smart enterprise choices and sustainable practices. What needs to change? Match enterprises to land size by replacing one-size-fits-all with support tailored to land, soil, and market conditions.

Boost small-plot productivity with high-value, space-efficient enterprises like poultry, mushrooms, vegetables, and zero-grazing dairy, backed by quality inputs, irrigation, and skills training. Regulate agro-inputs and train farmers to enforce strict quality standards for fertilisers and pesticides and provide training to ensure safe and effective use.

Support soil fertility and land management by encouraging organic farming, certified compost, biofertilizers, and water harvesting. Make agricultural extension central to PDM with trained agricultural officers in every parish to give farmers guidance beyond the initial disbursement. The PDM bold ideas require planning, context, and follow-through. It should never be about asking, ‘Have people received the money?’ but rather, “Do they have what they need to succeed with it?’

When I watched that video of the police officer harassing a supermarket attendant at a fuel station in Kyanja, I immediately wished I had not watched it. And yet I went on to watch it five more times. It was depressing, annoying, outrageous, but also scary. It reminded me of the sad reality of how unsafe we can be in what seems like a very safe space.

Perhaps we should have sections in our public entities for common people and then for the rest who occasionally lose their marbles and forget to regulate their emotions.

For instance, a smaller pothole filled lane on the road for us ordinary people and then another lane for the VIPS and Nsiimas of this world because imagine interfacing with that man on a narrow road, he would probably Fuga you off the road with or without street cameras. Anyway me as me, I was scared.

These days, I tiptoe in most public places because you just never know when the gods will go crazy.

The only comfort is that in all of this, God still reigns supreme, and he is able and willing to protect us from the realities of life. I was never really beaten as a child, not because my parents were permissive, but because I was and still am quite the coward of the country. I followed the rules to the dot just to avoid the rod.

So I cannot imagine now as a grown human, being smacked! Eh! These are some of the things that scared me about that video. So now, as ‘people of down’ in Kampala, we have to watch out for Sino trucks, cement mixers, floods, lying politicians, and Nsiima and his 30k.

I heard people blame the security guard and the other people who walked in and did nothing or said nothing to help. Of course, that is the wrong response, and yet if we are being honest, many of us would be those people.

They were too scared to speak up, which is what, unfortunately, many of us are. Too scared to stand up for our rights and the rights of others. Why, well, because most times than not, the price of boldness and heroism is too high compared to the rewards.

Or is it because we are not yet angry enough, or we think we have too much to lose? We all know that the scene that played out in that supermarket in Kyanja will not be the last of its kind. It is just going to be a different cast and props, but the same script.

In prehistoric times, man had to go out hunting, prepared to deal with wild animals that might come at him from any direction, hoping to make a fresh dinner of him.

Eons later, we now must leave our homes armed emotionally, mentally, and for some people, physically, just in case we meet things that are out to get us. I think this might be part of the big, bad world that our mamas warned us about.

And yet even with all this, aren’t you grateful for technology and the things it helps to expose? It might look like postmortem justice, but it still is a plus, and I am pretty sure knowing that they could be caught on camera and exposed for their nasty actions could keep other wild ones at bay if only for a while at least until the full moon.

So, get that camera for your business and home, and whatever other premises you lord over, if you can afford it. It is no longer a luxury or for the banking hall alone. You just never know when it could come in handy.

If you cannot afford them right now, visit the toy section in the supermarket, get a strange-looking toy, and then invite your tallest friends to pose as a camera installation team. Have them install the toys in various vantage points where they can clearly be seen.

Let everyone on the premises know that these are state-of-the-art ‘cameras’ from outside countries that can capture even the sound of heartbeats.

Thinking they are being watched will keep some people acting sane. Please note, make sure to replace the toys with real cameras as soon as you can, before something serious happens or before one sly person discovers your folly.

The Indian Association of Uganda and the High Commission have partnered with the Ruperalia Group this year to organise the annual Diwali food festival involving all Indian sects in Uganda.

During the interview on Saturday, Paresh Mehta, the Chairman of the association said the Indian community in Uganda and their high Commission together with Speak Resort, have organized this year’s festival scheduled for Sunday, October 19 at Speke Resort Munyonyo, as an occasion to attract all the sects in the country, to showcase India’s varied regional delicacies, cultural and tradition and well as promote the culture of unity in diversity and also strengthen their cultural heritage.

‘Diwali is an Indian festival that is celebrated in all corners of the world, including in the United States. In Kenya government has gazetted it as a public holiday, and at State House Entebbe, in the past the President has organized Diwali celebrations for the community. We have been celebrating this festival under an umbrella association,’ he said.

He added that the impact that the partnership between the Association, High Commission and the Ruperalia group has created on some of their projects such as blood donations and free heart surgeries for Ugandan children, has generated a lot of demand for the celebration as a flagship festival for the community living in Uganda.

Asked to explain the significance of the festival, he said among the Indians, they celebrate it as victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. He added that Diwalu brings together all communities, reconnects families and friends, contributes to social harmony and fosters a sense of belonging.

‘It is a festival that transcends religion and geography, offering a universal message of hope, renewal, and togetherness, and reminds people of the enduring power of light through times of darkness. It is also a time for new beginnings in business, personal growth, and spiritual enlightenment,’ he said.

According to Sasi Nair, the secretary of the association said the festival is an inherited Indian culture of celebrating victory over darkness. He said it is a way of encouraging their community to always be righteous and nurture the younger and future generations to keep alive the culture of good behavior for future generations.

‘We inherited the culture of good behavior which we have to pass onto our children and the next generations. We have so far registered more than 100 food stalls and over 15 cultural performances from various Indian regions and every diaspora community will be represented,’ he said.

He added that Ugandans and international communities are free to attend and witness some of the biggest Indian cultural performances and also experience various flavors of rural India.

According to Mohammed Vaheed, the Treasurer Indian Association, Diwali is a word derived from Skanskrit to mean celebration of lights and it is a major Hindu festival celebrated as a sign of victory over darkness. During the festival, people light lamps, décor. During Diwali, people light lamps, decorate their homes, exchange gifts, and enjoy festive meals and Indian delicacies.