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Government has embarked on an 18-month, Shs10.5b project to develop a national electricity distribution master plan aimed at guiding network expansion, reducing connection costs and supporting government’s ambition to achieve universal access by 2030.

The plan will provide a comprehensive picture of the country’s existing electricity distribution infrastructure and identify areas requiring new connections, upgrades and alternative energy solutions.

Under government’s 2030 target, half of the population will access electricity through the national grid, while the other half will be connected through off-grid solutions, particularly solar systems.

Ministry of Energy commissioner for rural electrification Abdon Atwine said the project seeks to address weaknesses in the current approach to electricity planning, which largely focuses on taking power to districts and sub-counties.

He said the absence of integrated planning has sometimes resulted in public facilities being established far from existing electricity infrastructure, creating expensive demands for grid extensions.

‘That is something we want to address by working with our stakeholders … to have a robust plan in terms of upgrading our network and extending the grid,’ Atwine said in an interview.

The master plan is expected to bring together electricity infrastructure planning and the development priorities of other government ministries, helping ensure that new public facilities and investments are considered when decisions on network expansion are made.

‘It is a study that will take us 18 months, for Shs10.5b … after 18 months, we should be a harmonised sector,’ he said.

Turkish technology firm Basarsoft has been contracted to undertake the studies, including mapping the electricity distribution network using Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

The exercise will involve collecting data on existing electricity infrastructure, identifying underserved communities and assessing potential demand to inform future investment decisions.

Basarsoft General Manager Tuncay Kucukpehlivan said the use of GIS would provide government with a reliable and continuously updated database to support electricity planning.

‘We are trying to establish a GIS database by studying all the fields and visiting all villages. We will collect existing infrastructure and potential demands. In this way, we will see the existing system and the demands for the future,’ he said.

The company plans to deploy about 200 field staff to undertake the surveys, which have already started.

The field exercise, Kucukpehlivan said, is expected to cover targeted areas within six months, followed by approximately three months of data evaluation.

The findings will then be used to develop the master plan, with outputs produced progressively across different regions rather than waiting for the entire countrywide exercise to be completed.

He said the process would also allow the Ministry of Energy to access data as it is collected, enabling it to monitor progress and understand emerging findings.

‘There will be regions to be covered; as the data comes, we will open that data also to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to see what’s going on, and after evaluating the data, we start producing the outcomes,’ he said.

The resulting master plan is expected to provide a basis for prioritising electricity investments, coordinating network expansion with public infrastructure development and identifying where grid connections or off-grid solutions would be more appropriate.

The Minister for General Duties, Eng. Hillary Onek, has expressed disappointment over the progress of works at Pece Stadium in Gulu City and demanded an audit of the project cost, citing a lack of value for money.

”So, Ministry of Works, this one is shoddy work, technical work, shoddy technical performance. 13 billion (shillings), 13 billion for this kind of thing,” the Minister wondered.

He explained that the works duplicate facilities that were previously in the stadium before the National Council of Sports demolished them for an upgrade ahead of the 2027 African Cup of Nations (Afcon).

”The pavilion which was there was destroyed; now we are building the same pavilion back. The same groffa (storeyed) was also there. What you are building here, this structure there, if I am to assess with my experience as a builder, it cannot even reach one billion (shillings).” the furious minister said after an assessment on October 21.

Mr Onek said the infrastructure on site is worth just one billion shillings as opposed to thirteen billion shillings that had already been injected by the government for the project.

”13 billion (shillings) can build a fully-fledged stadium, not just a pavilion like this one. I know what building is all about, so I am really disappointed. You have a lot of explanations to make for 13 billion (shillings) going into this; I am not sure.” He noted.

The National Council of Sports is undertaking renovation of Pece War Memorial Stadium in Laroo-Pece Division, Gulu City as a training ground ahead of the Afcon 2027. It is expected to be one of the three training grounds alongside other stadiums under upgrade in Lira and Gulu Universities. The stadiums are expected to serve teams that will play at Akii Bua Stadium in Lira City.

Last renovated in 2017 for the Federation of East Africa Schools Sports Association (FEASSA), the state of the stadium had been deteriorating. The upgrade started in May after the site handover to the UPDF Engineering Brigade and was expected to be completed by November 15 this year.

Similarly, Ms Florence Alanyo, the Assistant Resident District Commissioner for Gulu, questioned the work progress.

She said, ”I am also much worried a bit; this project was supposed to be for six months, already five months gone, we are left with one month, and my sister talked of this project being finished by 31st November, you are talking of 15th November, now I am even confused.”

But Site Engineer, Mr Daniel Matsiko, defended their positions, saying, ”Whatever you are seeing here, we are trying to do our best to make sure that by 15th we have completed this work, and the project duration is six months, and the contract time so far, we have now used nine months, but we are where we are, and slowly we can achieve it.

Gulu District Sports Officer, Mr Braxtone Ojara, said they have no prerogative over the project as it is being handled by the National Council of Sports.

”All the land titles were with the National Council of Sports; official handover was done from the district (Gulu), and for us, we thought everything would be then in this area.”

The Site Engineer reported that 68.8% of the work was completed. Currently, the facility is expected to have 1,000 pavilion seater, a dressing room, floodlights, artificial turf and a levelled training ground with a wall fence erected and work on the drainage and pitch was yet to start.

Questions swirl around the operability of Uganda’s proposed alternative fibre optic infrastructure through Tanzania that was pitched to the government by a company called Samanga Utilities.

In a June 23 letter, President Museveni indicated that he had received proposals from Samanga Utilities regarding ‘an alternative internet route through Tanzania’-tapping on the latter’s high-capacity fibre-optic network at the Mutukula border point, and automation of toll collections of the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway (KEE), which was the subject of a recent parliamentary inquiry.

However, months down the road, documents seen by this publication indicate that the discussions now centre on management of the Dense Wavelength-Division Multiplexing (DWDM) fibre optic line previously operated by the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Ltd (UETCL).

Accordingly, UETCL’s contracts committee is in the process of reviewing the evaluation report of the joint venture of Samanga Utilities and Liquid Telecommunications for ‘a commercial partner’ to oversee DWDM fibre optic covering over 1,775.2km. After evaluation, the contract worth $4.6m (Shs19.3b), will be forwarded to the Solicitor General for guidance.

This raises questions whether Samanga Utilities is introducing new internet connectivity infrastructure connecting from Tanzania or is merely going to run the UETCL fibre.

In the June 23, President Museveni suggested the options of using ‘the electricity transmission line for creating capacity for digital connection’ and ‘the petroleum corridor to lay fibres for digital connection.’

The latter refers to the buried fibre-optic cable running contiguous with the 1,443m km East African Crude Oil Pipeline (Eacop) that will transport Uganda’s waxy crude oil from the oil fields in mid-western Uganda to Tanga Port in Tanzania.

‘Study this with the relevant ministers and recommend courses of action for each of their efforts,’ Mr Museveni guided.

In August, the Parliamentary Committee on Physical Infrastructure started inquiring into the KEE toll management operations that were initially contracted to Egis Road Operations SA, and its sub-contractor Pinnacle Security Ltd.

Egis Road Operations SA divorced from the toll management operations, leaving behind Pinnacle Security Ltd. The committee probe discovered gaps in the latter’s contracting. Rather than recommending the Ministry of Works and Attorney General to plug the gaps, the committee broached terminating Pinnacle Security Ltd.

However, on the fibre optic network side, neither the National Information Technology Authority-Uganda (NITA-U), the statutory body mandated to coordinate government IT-services, nor its supervising Ministry of Information and National Guidance are involved in the ongoing discussions.

Samanga Utilities’ chief executive officer, Mr George Nkya said that ‘internet between Uganda and Tanzania is already flowing and people are enjoying high speed connectivity.’

‘You check with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They facilitated discussions between the two governments,’ he said.

There is, however, little record on the same, except an article titled ‘Tanzania adds Uganda to its ongoing regional fibre loop’ published on October 2, 2023, following signing of a memorandum of understanding between NITA-U and Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation (TTCL) earlier on September 29. The article suggests that Tanzania ‘will’ connect Uganda’s national fibre infrastructure called National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB).

Dr Hatwib Mugasa, the NITA-U executive director, said Uganda’s fibre optic cable – National Backbone Infrastructure (NBI) – already runs to Mutukula at the border in Kyotera District, and to Busia and Malaba border points with Kenya.

‘NITA-U is in charge of the NBI and its operations. For the other fibres you are asking about, you have to speak to the responsible agencies,’ Dr Mugasa said.

In 2006 the government acquired a $106m (Shs444.5b) loan from China’s Export-Import (EXIM) Bank for the optical fibre cable to link all government offices and the supply and installation of communication equipment to enable the transmission of voice, data and conferencing services.

Phase One of the project was completed in June 2008 and involved laying of optical fibre cable within Kampala and Entebbe to link 27 ministries, departments, and agencies and laying of 168km of fibre linking Kampala to Mukono, Bombo and Jinja.

Phase Two ran from 2009 to 2013 encompassing laying 1,400km and construction of a data centre, at Statistics House in Kampala.

Phase Three ran from 2016 to 2017 covering 756km of high-speed optical fibre cable from Kampala to Western Uganda and the borders with Tanzania and Rwanda.

Phase Four was funded by the World Bank to a tune of $75m (Shs314.5b) from 2016 to 2022 to extend ICT backbone to the West Nile districts and border points with DRC and South Sudan.

The former Energy minister, Ms Ruth Nankabirwa, left behind the deal in the in-tray of her successor, Dr Monica Musenero, who assumed office on June 10. She wrote of the deal ‘The use of Tanzania as a primary internet route’ in her handover report.

Consequently, in a letter dated July 27 under the reference ‘Implementation of the presidential directive on the Uganda-Tanzania fibre optic connection’, Dr Musenero directed the UETCL chief executive officer, Mr Richard Matsiko, to ‘terminate’ procurement of a commercial partner to manage the DWDM fibre optic, and directly engage Samanga Utilities Ltd, in joint venture with Liquid Telecommunications.

Dr Musenero, further, directed UETCL to ‘progress implementation of the Masaka-Kyaka optical fibre project in accordance with the approved work programme.’

This fibre is proposed to run on the planned Wobulenzi-Masaka-Mutukula to Mwanza 400 kilovolt transmission line, part of the regional interconnection lines under the Eastern African Power Pool.

UETCL, subsequently, terminated the procurement of a commercial partner to manage the DWDM fibre optic that runs alongside the high voltage power line.

Previously, the company leased the infrastructure to four telecommunication companies, Uganda Telecom Ltd/Uganda Telecommunications Corporation Ltd (UTL/UTCL), Sky Dot Com Ltd, Telkom-Kenya Ltd and Hamilton Telecom Ltd, with payments made three months in advance for fibre cores and 12 months in advance for co-location spaces.

However, the recent Auditor General’s report detailed that receivables from management of the fibre ‘have been outstanding for extended periods starting from as far back as 2016 to 2025.’ UTL/UTCL owed Shs10b, Sky Dot Com Ltd Shs8b, Hamilton Telecom Ltd–Shs7b, and Sky Dot Com Ltd Shs127m.

Insiders told this publication that owing to spiralling debt they had moved to procure one commercial partner to manage the infrastructure on a revenue sharing basis, when the orders to cancel the procurement were issued.

Doctors say late pregnancies reflect fertility treatment and changing lifestyles, not a shift in when women reach menopause.

When she walked into Dr Charles Masiko’s clinic at 45, she was pregnant for the first time. There had been no fertility treatment, no hormones, no procedure. She had simply conceived naturally, at an age when many women are approaching the end of their reproductive years.

Two years later, she is back in his consulting room. At 47, she is pregnant again, and Dr Masiko says this pregnancy, too, was conceived naturally. When the pregnancy was confirmed, he says, she struggled to believe she was expecting another baby. He describes her as a woman who keeps fit and eats well.

Dr Masiko, a gynaecologist at Kawempe National Referral Hospital and La Bridge Hospital in Lusanja, says he is seeing more women starting families later than their mothers did.

A woman of 35 who is only just beginning to have children no longer surprises him. But a pregnancy at 47 raises a question that goes beyond the age at which women are having babies: if motherhood is possible later in life, does that mean menopause is also happening later?

The distinction matters because the ability to carry a pregnancy and the age at which a woman reaches menopause are not the same thing.

What fertility treatment can and cannot do

Safinah Namukwaya’s pregnancies brought that distinction into sharp focus. In 2020, at 64, she gave birth to a baby girl after in vitro fertilisation (IVF) using donor eggs. In November 2023, at 70, she delivered twins, a boy and a girl, through another IVF pregnancy.

Her pregnancies were made possible by fertility treatment, not by her ovaries continuing to release eggs into her seventies. Once a woman has reached menopause, donor eggs can make pregnancy possible if she is medically suitable for treatment and her uterus can carry the pregnancy.

According to Dr Edward Tamale Ssali, director of the Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Centre in Bukoto, Kampala, Namukwaya was the 25th woman above 50 to conceive through IVF at his centre.

The hospital operates an egg-sharing programme through which eggs donated by eligible IVF patients can be used to help other women conceive.

The treatment, however, raises questions beyond the medical possibilities. Uganda has long operated without a specific law governing assisted reproductive technology. The Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill, 2023, which was tabled in Parliament in March 2024 to regulate the sector, had yet to become law at the time of reporting.

Namukwaya’s story demonstrates what fertility treatment can achieve, but it should not be confused with a change in the natural ageing of the ovaries.

‘Women are not reaching menopause later,’ says Dr Vincent Karuhanga, a general practitioner at Friends Polyclinic in Kampala. He says the pregnancies that attract attention are better understood as examples of what fertility treatment can make possible, rather than evidence that the age of menopause is changing.

The woman pregnant at 47 presents a different case. Her pregnancies occurred without medical assistance, making them unusual at her age. Dr Masiko says natural conception becomes increasingly uncommon as women grow older, although it is not impossible before menopause. She is not the only one in her family, she says: her sister conceived naturally at 50.

Why women are starting families later

A woman’s natural fertility declines with age as the number and quality of her remaining eggs decrease. As the ovaries age, the likelihood of conception falls, while the likelihood of chromosomal abnormalities in eggs increases. These changes affect both the chances of becoming pregnant and the risk of miscarriage.

By menopause, the ovaries have stopped releasing eggs, making natural conception no longer possible. Fertility treatment may sometimes overcome the barrier to pregnancy by using donor eggs or previously frozen embryos, but it does not reverse the natural ageing of a woman’s ovaries.

The reasons women begin families later vary. Dr Masiko points to women pursuing higher education and careers before having children. Dr Karuhanga says some want financial security before taking on the cost of raising a family. Others take longer to find a partner or experience difficulties conceiving. These circumstances can mean that a woman begins trying for a child when her natural fertility has already declined. Some then seek medical assistance, while others may conceive naturally, as the 47-year-old patient did.

What late pregnancy means

Being able to conceive is not the same as being medically fit to carry a pregnancy. Pregnancy at an older age is associated with increased risks for both mother and baby, including high blood pressure disorders during pregnancy, gestational diabetes, miscarriage and preterm birth. The likelihood of some complications rises with age, and existing medical conditions may increase the risks further.

The age of the egg also matters. As women grow older, their remaining eggs are more likely to have chromosomal abnormalities, increasing the risk of miscarriage and certain conditions affecting the baby. Using donor eggs changes the age-related risks associated with the egg, but it does not remove the risks associated with the age and health of the woman carrying the pregnancy.

Namukwaya’s first delivery illustrated why pregnancies at very advanced ages require close medical attention.

Dr Herbert Kalema, a gynaecologist at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital, told the Daily Monitor that Namukwaya arrived with abdominal pain, high blood pressure, difficulty breathing and swollen legs. Her doctors opted for a caesarean delivery at eight months.

For the woman pregnant at 47, Dr Masiko says he is managing the pregnancy through monthly antenatal appointments. Her case illustrates why a pregnancy at this age needs medical supervision rather than assumptions based on how healthy or physically fit a woman appears.

For women considering pregnancy later in life, a discussion with a qualified health professional is important. Their age, existing medical conditions and individual circumstances all matter when assessing whether pregnancy is advisable and what monitoring may be required.

The point is not that every pregnancy in the forties will have complications. Rather, the risks change with age, and women need accurate information to make decisions about their reproductive health.

When does menopause actually happen?

Menopause is confirmed after 12 consecutive months without menstruation, provided there is no other medical explanation.

According to the World Health Organisation, most women experience natural menopause between 45 and 55 years.

During perimenopause, periods may become irregular, but pregnancy remains possible if ovulation continues.

However, conceiving in one’s forties does not mean menopause will occur later, and there is insufficient evidence that Ugandan women are reaching menopause later than previous generations.

When should you seek fertility advice?

Women aged 40 and above who wish to conceive should seek medical advice early rather than spend months trying without understanding their fertility prospects.

A fertility assessment may examine ovarian function, menstrual history and other factors affecting conception. Depending on the findings, a doctor may discuss natural conception, assisted reproductive techniques or other options.

Women who become pregnant in their forties also need early antenatal care because pregnancy at an advanced maternal age carries higher risks, including miscarriage, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and chromosomal abnormalities.

Buwenge Town Council has recorded the highest number of new HIV-positive cases in Jinja District, accounting for 28 percent of the 442 people who tested positive during the 2025/2026 financial year.

The district HIV focal person, Ms Suzan Naguya, said 127 people tested positive in Buwenge, making it the lower local government with the highest number of new cases among the district’s seven administrative units.

Kakira Town Council followed with 22 percent, while Kagoma Town Council accounted for 21 percent.

Busedde Sub-county recorded 12 percent. Buyengo and Namagera town councils accounted for 5.8 percent and 5.6 percent respectively, while Butagaya Sub-county recorded the lowest number.

Ms Naguya attributed the higher numbers in urban centres to population movement and social activities that increase exposure to HIV.

‘When you look at the areas with the highest numbers, they are all urban centres with bars and lodges that attract many people,’ she said.

She added that such centres attract different categories of people, including sex workers, increasing the need for targeted HIV prevention and testing interventions.

Renewed optimism

Despite the figures recorded in some areas, Ms Naguya said HIV prevalence in Jinja District had declined from 3.7 percent to 3.4 percent, below the national prevalence of 4.7 percent.

She urged residents and the general public to undertake regular HIV testing, remain faithful to their partners and practise abstinence as part of efforts to prevent further transmission.

Health interventions

The HIV figures emerged as the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) conducted a three-day medical camp at Mpumudde Primary School in Jinja City, which ended last Friday.

Dr Protazio Sande, IRA chief executive officer, said the authority organised the medical camp after recognising the need to improve health outcomes in Eastern Uganda.

‘I am very happy to be welcomed to Jinja, one of the districts in eastern Uganda whose health indicators are not among the best in the country. I believe this was one of the factors considered in organising the health camp to contribute to better health outcomes,’ he said.

Dr Sande said although the authority’s primary responsibility was regulating the insurance industry, it also undertakes corporate social responsibility programmes to improve community welfare.

He said good health was essential for productive lives and that taking medical services closer to communities would improve access, particularly for people who struggle to reach health facilities.

He urged residents to take advantage of free medical camps whenever they are organised, noting that health challenges, including shortages of medicines, continue to affect communities.

Meanwhile, the Jinja City Secretary for Health, Ms Irene Nakato Wakabi, raised concern over an increase in mental health cases, calling on the ministry of Health to strengthen the supply of medicines for affected patients.

‘The ministry of Health should increase stocks of medicines for people with mental health conditions because I have observed a rise in the number of cases in Jinja City,’ Ms Wakabi said.

The Jinja City secretary for health also identified diabetes as an emerging public health concern requiring urgent attention.

Dr Charles Wako, the officer-in-charge of Mpumudde Health Centre IV, said the facility registers at least one new patient with diabetes or hypertension daily.