Category: Daily Monitor

Uganda’s leading law enforcement and accountability institutions in April and June this year quietly rolled out two key tools aimed at strengthening the fight against financial and economic crimes.

The development of the Financial Investigations Training Manual and Guide on one hand, and the Forensic Induction Course Training Manual, on the other hand, mark a significant step in the country’s efforts against financial crimes.

Experts define a parallel financial investigation as an inquiry run at the same time as a traditional criminal investigation, so that while one team investigates the core crime, a separate track follows the money trail to trace hidden assets, trace criminal networks, and gather financial proof.

The tools, developed and supported by the agencies in the same chain of social accountability against financial crimes, including the Uganda Police Force, the Uganda Revenue Authority, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), and the Uganda Wildlife Authority, among others, provide a comprehensive guide for financial crime…

…investigators, providing standardized procedures, modern investigative techniques, and clear methodologies for tracing illicit financial flows and recovering stolen assets. On the other hand, the forensic training tools are aimed at standardizing crime scene management and evidence handling.

The authors believe that effective financial investigations depend on the ability to trace the origin, ownership, movement, and final destination of funds linked to criminal activity.

According to the FIA boss, Mr Samuel Wandera, the training tools will enhance the capacity of all stakeholders, ensuring that investigators are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to address increasingly complex financial crimes.

The tools also represent a shared commitment by institutions to move beyond individual mandates and work collectively toward safeguarding the country’s economic integrity. The collaboration strengthens case building, improves evidence-based investigations, and increases the likelihood of successful prosecutions and asset recovery.

The tools can serve as a capacity-building resource for both new and experienced officers, ensuring standardized instruction across institutions involved in financial crime investigations. It is positioned as a timely response to the evolving nature of financial crimes, which continue to grow in sophistication and cross-border complexity.

By promoting an intelligence-led investigations approach and structured coordination among agencies, the tool can significantly improve Uganda’s ability to detect, investigate, and prosecute financial crimes. It will also help trace the systemic nature of financial crime…

The complexity of financial crimes, such as money laundering and terrorism financing, often involves tax evasion, fraud, narcotics, corruption, real estate, and informal networks. Parallel investigations allow different agencies to track these lines at the same time, preventing criminals from exploiting jurisdictional gaps.

In terms of multi-agency collaboration, Uganda’s Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA), Police, URA, and ODPP all have distinct mandates. Running investigations in parallel could ensure that tax evasion, corruption, and terrorism financing are addressed holistically.

In respect of asset recovery, the parallel probes will help trace the origin, ownership, and destination of illicit funds more quickly, increasing chances of freezing assets and recovering stolen assets before they are probably moved offshore.

Law enforcement agencies have no choice but to continuously embrace more advanced investigative techniques to match the increasingly sophisticated economic crimes, through popularizing and implementing the new tools at all levels to benefit the serving and new officers.

Let us also emulate the multidisciplinary approach in tackling the emerging and organized crime to safeguard the financial integrity of our country.

Alcohol is woven into social life across Uganda. We have it at formal celebrations and nightlife, as well as in everyday community gatherings or milestone events. But beneath this familiar reality lies a market many of us rarely examine closely.

Uganda’s alcohol industry today operates as two parallel systems: one regulated, taxed and accountable, the other largely invisible, untaxed and expanding at alarming speed. The troubling truth is that the shadow market is growing faster than the formal one.

Every year, millions of litres of illicit alcohol circulate through Uganda’s markets, costing the formal sector billions in lost revenue, risking lives through contamination and eroding the hard-earned trust that legitimate brands work for decades to build.

This is not a marginal economic leakage; it is a massive parallel market that competes with the legal sector, siphoning off tax and resources that should otherwise build our roads, hospitals and schools. For any business deeply invested in quality, safety and corporate responsibility, the widespread availability of unregulated alcohol is both a direct threat to commercial viability and a growing public health emergency.

According to the 2024 Euromonitor International report, illicit alcohol now accounts for 67.5 percent of Uganda’s total alcohol market volume. Artisanal illicit beverages like your neighbourhood waragi, kasese and kwete alone account for 71 percent of the illicit share and are still growing. That is double the 1.5 litres consumed legally. The sheer weight of this statistic means that nearly two-thirds of the alcohol consumed in our country is entirely in the shadows, hidden from regulation, tax authorities and quality assurance bodies such as the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS).

For legitimate manufacturers, the result is a market where compliant businesses are punished for doing the right thing. Formal brands invest heavily in high-quality raw materials, strict hygiene standards, sustainable packaging and compliance with rigorous tax and regulatory frameworks. In contrast, illicit operators bypass every single one of these overheads, allowing them to significantly underprice formal products. This unfair competition systematically undermines tax-abiding businesses, reduces incentives for corporate investment, and artificially suppresses growth across the formal manufacturing sector.

From a macroeconomic perspective, this illicit trade directly breaks national development. Euromonitor reports indicate that government loses an estimated Shs 2 trillion annually in forgone tax revenue due to illicit alcohol. By operating completely outside the tax net, the illicit sector deprives the government of billions of shillings in excise duty and corporate tax every year, revenue desperately needed to fund national development goals.

This massive tax evasion starves public services and places an unfair tax proportion tax burden on the small percentage of companies operating legally. Additionally, while the informal sector provides short-term survival income for some, it deprives workers of formal employment protections, stable wages, and safe working conditions, ultimately limiting the long-term growth of a skilled Ugandan workforce.

Restoring market integrity requires us to rethink how we rebuild consumer trust. Enough transparent marketing and robust product verification. Consumers have a fundamental right to know exactly what they put into their bodies. Genuine, responsible marketing must go hand-in-hand with strict supply-chain visibility. When legitimate brands utilize tamper-evident labelling and verifiable digital stamps, they empower everyday consumers to make informed, safe choices. However, for these measures to truly work, they must be supported by widespread public awareness campaigns that educate consumers on how to actively distinguish authentic products from dangerous imitations.

What would actually move the needle? Three things, pursued in parallel:

Fiscal policy needs to be realistic. When taxes on legal products price out the majority of consumers, these consumers do not disappear. They go to the next available option. A predictable, graduated tax framework that keeps legal alcohol accessible is not a concession to the industry; it is a public health intervention.

Traceability infrastructure needs investment now. A regional pilot mapping the supply chains for industrial molasses and ethanol in a single high-risk region would identify where raw materials are diverted into illegal production.

Livelihood alternatives matter as much as enforcement. Many informal producers are not criminals. They are entrepreneurs operating outside a system that was not built with them in mind. Supporting their transition into formal agricultural supply chains, sorghum and barley cultivation for legal manufacturing creates economic ramps. It shrinks the illicit market from the roots, not just from the top.

The question Uganda needs to answer is a simple one: Are we serious about the health of our citizens and the integrity of our economy, or are we comfortable with a market where two-thirds of what people drink is completely unaccounted for?

Should a refugee have to secure a separate work permit before taking a job, on top of the refugee status a government has already granted them?

It is a question the region is wrestling with, and answering inconsistently.

Uganda, which hosts almost two million refugees and asylum seekers, Africa’s largest population, has long answered ambiguously.

Its 2006 Refugees Act promises refugees the right to work, move freely and access services.

In practice, immigration officers have often arrested refugees who lacked a separate work permit under the Uganda Citizenship and Immigration Control Act.

The stakes have grown as aid has thinned. Roughly a third of Uganda’s refugees rely on World Food Programme assistance, making the right to earn a living a matter of survival.

On July 10, the High Court in Kampala tried to settle the matter.

The inconvenience

The case, Kasajja Brian versus Attorney General and Inter-Aid Uganda, was brought on behalf of Suther Rajesh Kumar, an urban refugee twice arrested for working: once with an asylum seeker’s certificate, and again in 2017 after obtaining a Refugee Identity Card.

He spent nearly two years on an immigration bond. His wife, a recognised Congolese refugee, offered to stand as surety. Officials rejected her and demanded someone with an Indian passport.

Much of Kumar’s broader case collapsed for want of evidence. Claims of unlawful detention, discrimination and torture were dismissed because no charge sheet, police register or medical report backed them up.

But the court found that his arrest, as the spouse of a recognised refugee, breached protections for refugee family members under section 36 of the Refugees Act.

It went further, declaring that any recognised refugee holding a valid Refugee Identity Card may work in Uganda without a separate permit, and barring arrests or prosecutions on that basis alone.

The legal reasoning

The judgment leans on overlapping guarantees: Article 40 of the constitution, extending the right to a livelihood regardless of nationality; the Refugees Act, granting recognised refugees ‘gainful employment’; and Article 17 of the 1951 Refugee Convention, requiring favourable treatment for refugees.

The court effectively read immigration permit requirements as inapplicable to residents the legislature had already granted a more generous right.

Uganda’s courts have, therefore, gone further than most regional peers. South Africa’s amended Refugees Act allows recognised refugees to seek employment freely but withholds automatic permission from asylum seekers, who must have their documentation specially endorsed.

The ‘right to work’ in Africa is not one settled continental standard but a patchwork, and Kampala’s High Court has nudged Uganda toward the liberal end.

The ruling has limits. TASLAF Advocates lawyers stress that the Refugees Act expressly grants employment rights to recognised refugees, while regulations link employment to a valid Refugee Identity Card.

The ruling protects recognised refugees with a Refugee Identity Card. It says less about thousands still waiting to learn whether their asylum claims will succeed.

They can point to broad language about fundamental rights, but not the specific statutory protection recognised refugees have.

Employers hiring someone on an asylum seeker’s certificate alone therefore face uncertainty this judgment does not remove unless a future case tests asylum seekers’ position.

What lawyers are saying

Four TASLAF Advocates lawyers; managing partner Stephen Tumwesigye, senior associate Ruth Nanjobe, associate partner Kevin Ayebare and legal associate Samalie Liz Nakasiga, have outlined the practical consequences for employers.

Their reading is that firms may hire a refugee on a Refugee Identity Card alone, without sponsoring a work permit, provided the card is genuine and current.

That contrasts with Kenya, where a 2021 law entitles refugees to apply for Class M work permits.

Yet researchers monitoring the World Bank-backed Shirika Plan find reform remains largely on paper, with permits difficult to obtain and encampment rules constraining movement.

TASLAF says a recognised refugee with a Refugee Identity Card may be employed without first obtaining a work or entry permit. Employers should still verify and retain copies of the card and comply with the Employment Act’s non-discrimination obligations.

The lawyers add two cautions. First, the government appeared in court but did not argue against the claim. A case in which it pushes back could challenge the ruling.

Second, the court protects refugees from arrest for working without a permit; it does not prevent arrests for other lawful reasons. Employers should not assume refugee workers are exempt from immigration checks.

Why refugees aren’t ‘migrant workers’

Uganda’s Employment (Amendment) Act, updated this year, gives the Labour Minister powers to reserve certain jobs for citizens and restrict ‘migrant workers’ from designated occupations. The court noted that refugees do not fit that category.

The Act defines a migrant worker as someone who migrates for employment. Refugees, by contrast, enter Uganda seeking protection from persecution and receive the right to work through recognised refugee status, not as migrant workers.

The distinction shields recognised refugees from a protectionist current aimed at foreign workers generally, and echoes a broader continental push.

At an International Labour Organisation forum in Nairobi in late July, officials from Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda agreed to stop treating refugees and host communities as separate labour-market categories and to build inclusive national employment policies that cover both.

Uganda’s ruling gives that regional commitment concrete legal teeth through a court order, not merely a communiqué.

None of this guarantees smooth implementation. Ugandan immigration enforcement has lagged behind judicial pronouncements, just as Kenya’s reforms have struggled to turn legislative promise into permits issued.

The ruling also leaves asylum seekers, arguably those most vulnerable to arrest, in murkier territory. As the TASLAF team observes, successful enforcement of rights depends not only on the law but on the quality of evidence presented before court.

Still, for urban refugees in Uganda who work informally or semi-formally, and for employers who hire them, the Kasajja Brian ruling offers a workable rule: recognised refugee status, evidenced by a valid Refugee Identity Card, carries the right to earn a living without a separate work permit.

The tragedy in Karamoja is not that drought occurs. Drought is part of life in dry land regions across the world, and communities here have lived with it for generations. The real tragedy is that drought still becomes hunger.

Every few years, the same story unfolds. Rains fail. Crops wither. Livestock weaken. Food prices rise. Emergency relief follows. When the rains return, development programmes resume – until the next drought arrives. This cycle has repeated itself for decades.

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis for Karamoja, April-July 2026, about 473,000 people, 32 percent of Karamoja’s population are currently facing Crisis or Emergency levels of acute food insecurity driven by prolonged dry conditions, below-average crop and livestock production, pests, disease and rising food prices.

The question Uganda should now be asking is not why drought affects Karamoja. It is why drought still translates into hunger after decades of public investment. The answer is uncomfortable.

Karamoja has never lacked development projects. Governments and development partners have invested in agriculture, livestock, water infrastructure, education, health, roads, ecosystem restoration and livelihoods. More recently, climate adaptation has widened these efforts through irrigation, water-for-production and climate-smart agriculture.

These investments have produced real gains. But they have not broken the cycle, because many still treat climate change as one development challenge among many, rather than as the context within which all development now takes place.

A prolonged drought does not only reduce crop yields. It weakens livestock, dries up water sources, disrupts markets, raises food prices, cuts household incomes and drives up malnutrition – all at once. Yet our response remains fragmented. Agriculture improves production. Water develops irrigation. Environment restores degraded landscapes. Roads improve connectivity. Markets, storage and extension services are planned separately. Each intervention is valuable on its own terms. But communities remain vulnerable because the system itself remains vulnerable.

This is where our thinking has to change. Karamoja does not simply need more projects. It needs a climate-resilient food security system, one that designs every investment, from water infrastructure and irrigation to ecosystem restoration, community grain storage, agricultural extension, markets and rural finance, around a single purpose: making sure climate shocks no longer become food crises.

Food security is not created on farms alone. It depends on reliable water, healthy ecosystems, resilient livestock systems, functioning markets, affordable finance, climate information, storage facilities and effective extension services. When one part of this system fails, the whole system becomes vulnerable. Development should no longer be judged by how many projects were completed, but by how well the entire system withstands climate shocks.

Uganda already has many of the building blocks for a similar shift. Investments in irrigation, water for production, climate-smart agriculture, ecosystem restoration, the Parish Development Model and local government development all have the potential to strengthen resilience. The challenge is not the absence of programmes. It is making them work as one system.

The same principle applies to agricultural extension. Expecting a single extension worker to advise farmers on crops, livestock, irrigation, weather, pests, markets and climate adaptation, often with limited resources, is unrealistic.

We also need to rethink how we measure success. Too often, projects celebrate hectares irrigated, valley tanks constructed or farmers trained. Those are outputs. They are not resilience. Resilience is the ability to stop a drought from becoming hunger, and that should be the standard against which every investment in Karamoja is judged.

If fewer households need emergency food assistance after the next drought, if livestock losses decline, if food stays available through prolonged dry spells, and if household incomes hold steady despite climate shocks, then development is working. If not, we will simply have improved projects without changing the system.

Karamoja has the chance to become Uganda’s model for climate-resilient development – not because it receives more investment, but because it shows how development can be redesigned for a changing climate. The real measure of success will not be how many projects we implement or how much money we spend. It will be whether the next drought still becomes the next hunger crisis.

Over 100 health facilities across the country are running out of supplies of Lenacapavir -a twice-yearly, long-acting HIV prevention drug.

This publication understands that the demand for the new HIV prevention drug in Uganda has exceeded the available supply, creating hope for more donations.

The new HIV drug is expanding Uganda’s HIV prevention toolkit, offering people at substantial risk of HIV infection an alternative to daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis, commonly known as PrEP.

On February 24, 2026, Uganda received an initial consignment of 19,200 doses of Lenacapavir, followed by secured commitments for an additional 60,000 doses.

In developed countries, injectable lenacapavir, is priced at about $28,218 (Shs104 million) annually, while in low- and middle-income countries, generic versions cost around $46 (about Shs170,000) per year, through global health access partnerships.

Investigations by this publication have found that interest in lenacapavir, a biannual injectable HIV prevention drug, is growing among adult Ugandans, with more men joining women in exploring this new option as the country fights back in the face of rising infections.

Dr Herbert Kadama, the Ministry of Health’s coordinator for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), explained that women still account for the majority of people receiving the injection, but uptake among men is growing.

‘Overall, around 56 percent of recipients are female compared to 44 percent are male,’ Dr Kadama said in an interview with this publication.

He added that the gender pattern changes with age, with men accounting for a larger proportion of recipients aged 35 and above, while women are more represented among younger age groups.

Dr Kadama explained the ministry had not specifically collected information on why more women are taking up lenacapavir, but noted that women were already the largest users of HIV prevention services before the introduction of the injectable.

‘Even before lenacapavir came, the biggest people who were taking it were female. But what we are seeing is that more males are coming on board,’ he said.

The revelation comes as Uganda continues to expand access to lenacapavir, a long-acting form of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) administered every six months to people at substantial risk of acquiring HIV.

Uganda launched the national rollout in April, initially targeting high-burden areas and populations at increased risk of HIV infection. The first phase covered about 103-104 health facilities, with plans to expand to about 300 facilities by December 2026.

The medicine has generated considerable public interest, with earlier reports indicating that demand had begun exceeding available stocks at some facilities.

7,600 doses expected

Dr Kadama said the ministry expects another consignment of lenacapavir this month to expand access.

‘We are expecting something about 7,600, around there. This batch will cater for new administrations since the second doses for the previous cohort (those that got the first doses already) are available,’ he said.

Uganda is introducing the new prevention tool against a backdrop of a substantial HIV burden. The Uganda AIDS Commission estimates that about 1.5 million people are living with HIV in the country, with national HIV prevalence at about 4.9 per cent.

The country recorded about 37,000 new HIV infections in 2024, down from about 38,150 in 2023 and 96,000 in 2010. AIDS-related deaths also fell from 56,000 in 2010 to about 20,000 in 2024, representing a 64 per cent decline.

Uganda has also made progress in HIV treatment, with the latest figures presented by the Uganda AIDS Commission showing that 94 per cent of people living with HIV know their status, 90 per cent are on antiretroviral treatment, and 96 per cent of those on treatment are virally suppressed.

However, health officials continue to push for stronger prevention as new infections remain high, particularly among young women and other populations at increased risk.

Lenacapavir was officially launched in Uganda on April 17, 2026. Developed by Gilead Sciences, the long-acting drug has demonstrated very high levels of protection against HIV in clinical trials and requires just one injection every six months. Uganda’s rollout adds it to existing prevention options including daily oral PrEP, condoms and injectable cabotegravir.

The strong response to the injection, Dr Kadama said, suggests that people are willing to adopt HIV prevention methods that are less frequent than daily pills.

‘People are very positive about taking it. People have come up to take it. So many people,’ he said.

How Lenacapavir works

Lenacapavir belongs to a newer class of HIV medicines known as capsid inhibitors.

According to Dr Flavia Matovu Kiweewa of the Makerere University-Johns Hopkins University Research Collaboration, the drug works at different stages of the HIV life cycle by interfering with the virus’s capsid, the protective covering surrounding the virus.

‘Lenacapavir changes the shape and function of the capsid, interfering with the different stages of the HIV life cycle so that the virus cannot successfully make copies of itself,’ Kiweewa explains.

The drug is administered under the skin, where it forms a small deposit and is slowly released into the body over a period of about six months.

‘The drug is stored in the subcutaneous tissue and slowly released over time. By the time someone is exposed to HIV, there is enough drug circulating in the body to prevent the virus from establishing infection,’ she says.

Unlike daily oral PrEP, the injection only needs to be administered twice a year. Kiweewa says this is particularly important for people who find daily medication difficult because of forgetfulness, stigma, travel or lifestyle challenges.

‘For many people, taking a pill every day is difficult. A six-month injection provides a practical alternative while maintaining very strong protection against HIV,’ she says.

Lenacapavir was tested in the PURPOSE One study, which involved about 5,000 adolescent girls and young women in Uganda and South Africa. The PURPOSE Two study evaluated Lenacapavir among men who have sex with men, transgender people and other populations at substantial risk of acquiring HIV.

Kiweewa says the results from the studies demonstrated almost complete protection against HIV infection among participants.

‘The results from both studies were highly consistent and showed almost 100 percent protection against HIV infection among participants,’ she says.

What beneficiaries say

Mr Michael Elvis Tusubira, a social worker at the National STD Unit at Mulago, was among the first beneficiaries after the facility received its initial 40 doses. Tusubira, who considers himself at substantial risk of HIV infection because of his work and lifestyle, had previously used oral PrEP and long-acting Cabotegravir, which is administered every two months.

He says Lenacapavir offered him another option that better suited his lifestyle with fewer clinic visits and no daily pill burden.

‘For me, the fact that I only have to come back after six months gives me a lot of convenience. It means I don’t have to keep remembering to take a pill every day or make frequent visits to the health facility for refills,’ Tusubira says.

He was also encouraged by the experience of receiving the injection.

‘The injection process was straightforward. I experienced some swelling at the injection site, but it disappeared within a few days, and knowing that I have protection for six months gives me confidence,’ he says.

Tusubira believes wider access to Lenacapavir could encourage more people to take up HIV prevention without feeling judged.

‘People should be able to choose what works for them without being stigmatized. Deep down, we all know our vices, so before you think about how society will view you, just be honest with yourself because it’s you that will carry the burden of living with HIV,’ he says.

At the MARPI Clinic, peer educator Saidi Katende has also embraced the new prevention option. He initially missed out when the first doses of Lenacapavir were distributed, but registered again and eventually received the injection.

‘I was not lucky with the first batch, but I registered again and got the opportunity. I was happy because I was relieved from the pill burden and from the fear of what I had to deal with every day at the clinic,’ Katende says.

Katende has spent years encouraging people to protect themselves against HIV, influenced in part by his experience caring for an aunt who died from AIDS. As someone who regularly interacts with people living with HIV, he has used different forms of PrEP over the years.

For him, the biggest challenge remains stigma.

‘Some people fear taking PrEP because they think others will assume they are HIV-positive or that they are engaging in risky behaviour. But prevention is a responsible health decision,’ he says.

Katende is now encouraging people who believe they may be at risk to seek professional advice rather than allow stigma or misinformation to prevent them from accessing HIV prevention services.

Who can receive Lenacapavir?

Under Uganda’s initial rollout, Lenacapavir is being prioritized for people considered to be at substantial risk of HIV infection.

These include adolescent girls and young women, people in serodiscordant relationships, pregnant and breastfeeding women, female sex workers and their clients, fishermen, long-distance truck drivers, people in multiple sexual relationships, boda boda riders, and military and security personnel.

The drug is provided at no clinical cost at the moment to eligible beneficiaries through selected public health facilities.

Dr Herbert Kadama, the Ministry of Health’s Coordinator for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, says an individual who believes they are at risk should seek professional advice and undergo the required screening before receiving the injection.

‘The best person to assess their risk is the individual. If someone feels they are at risk of contracting HIV, they can walk into a health facility and be assessed in line with the screening guidelines,’ Kadama says.

UAC explains

Dr Vincent Bagambe, the director of Planning and Strategic Communication at the Uganda AIDS Commission, says Lenacapavir should be viewed as another HIV prevention tool.

‘Lenacapavir will not be a magic bullet. We need a combination of prevention interventions, and people should continue using the prevention method that works for them,’ Bagambe says.

He encourages people who do not have access to Lenacapavir to continue using other proven HIV prevention measures.

Dr Kadama also cautions that Lenacapavir protects against HIV

acquisition but does not prevent other sexually transmitted infections, hepatitis B or unintended pregnancies.

‘Lenacapavir protects against HIV, but it does not protect against STIs or pregnancy. People should continue with comprehensive prevention, including condom use, regular HIV testing and seeking treatment when necessary,’ Kadama says.

While adolescent girls and young women remain a major focus because of the disproportionate burden of new infections, researchers say the benefits of Lenacapavir will only be realized if the drug reaches people who need it most.

Kiweewa says information and access gaps must be addressed, particularly among vulnerable women and girls in rural and low- income communities.

‘We need to reach the vulnerable people, girls in bars, truck drivers and others who may have multiple exposures. These are the people who need to know that this option is available to them,’ she says.

The UNAIDS Country Director for Uganda, Jacqueline Makokha, says the introduction of Lenacapavir is significant because it gives people more choices.

‘This gives an option to people who may not want oral PrEP, the dapivirine vaginal ring or condoms. Expanding choices is important because people are different and what works for one person may not work for another,’ Makokha explained.

Hello Sarah, your observation is important because the steering wheel naturally tends to return to the straight-ahead position after a turn. This feature is not just a convenience; it results from the vehicle’s steering and suspension geometry.

When you turn, the front wheels are angled, and the suspension geometry creates a restoring force that helps them return to the centre as the car moves forward. This is why, after negotiating a corner, you can typically loosen your grip and feel the steering wheel start to unwind.

If this self-centring action has noticeably weakened, something may have changed in the steering, suspension, or wheel alignment.

Potential causes

One possibility is incorrect wheel alignment, particularly related to the caster angle. The caster angle contributes to steering stability and self-centring. If the caster angle is outside the manufacturer’s specifications, the steering may feel less responsive in returning after a turn. This misalignment can occur after hitting potholes, curbs, or other road hazards.

However, do not automatically blame alignment issues. Worn or damaged suspension components can also affect wheel behaviour. As steering components such as suspension bushes, ball joints, and tie-rod ends age, they can develop excessive friction or play. Additionally, a component that has become stiff can hinder the steering from returning smoothly.

The steering system itself should be checked as well. For vehicles with hydraulic power steering, issues with the steering rack, fluid condition, or pump can alter steering feel. Modern vehicles with electric power steering have different components, including an electric motor and steering-angle sensors; faults in these systems can also impact steering assistance.

Tyres can play a role too. Incorrect tyre pressure, mismatched tyres, or tyres with unusual wear can affect steering behaviour. For example, if one front tyre has significantly different pressure than the other, the vehicle may not handle normally while cornering.

Another possibility is that previous repairs may have altered the suspension geometry. Using incorrect parts for suspension replacements, improperly fitting components, or failing to perform alignment after suspension work can all affect how the steering behaves.

Should you continue driving?

I would not ignore this change simply because the car still drives normally. Steering problems can develop gradually, causing the driver to become accustomed to the altered behaviour without realising that something is deteriorating.

Pay attention to whether the steering has become heavier, the car wanders on a straight road, the steering wheel is off-centre, or whether you hear knocking or creaking noises when turning. Uneven front tyre wear is another clue to look for.

Your mechanic should inspect the entire front steering and suspension system rather than just performing an alignment and sending you on your way. They should check the caster, camber, and toe angles against the manufacturer’s specifications, as well as examine the steering rack, tie rods, ball joints, and suspension bushes for wear or binding.

Sarah, a steering wheel that no longer returns to centre as it used to is not necessarily a sign of imminent failure.

However, it is a change in vehicle behaviour that warrants investigation.

In many cases, the cause may be something relatively straightforward, such as alignment or tyre pressure. Since steering directly affects control and stability, it is better to diagnose the cause early rather than wait for the car to develop a more obvious and potentially expensive problem.

The Court of Appeal has ordered law firm M/S Muwema and Co Advocates to deposit $100,000 (about Shs370 million) as security for costs if it is to secure a stay of execution on a high-value monetary decree arising from a commercial property dispute with Downtown Investments Limited.

In a ruling delivered by single appellate judge Justice John Mike Musisi, the law firm was directed to either deposit the cash directly into court or present an unconditional bank guarantee from a reputable commercial bank within one month.

The directive follows an application by Muwema and Co Advocates seeking to halt the execution of a High Court judgment pending the determination of its intended appeal.

The legal tussle originates from a December 15, 2014 lease agreement in which the law firm rented commercial premises on Plot 50, Windsor Crescent in Kololo from Downtown Investments Ltd at an annual rent of $5,500 plus VAT. The agreement included an option for the firm to purchase the property.

In August 2021, the law firm attempted to exercise that option by offering $1.05 million to buy the premises. Downtown Investments rejected the offer, deeming the amount insufficient, which led to a breakdown in relations and the filing of Civil Suit No. 0621 of 2023. In that suit, the landlord sought vacant possession, eviction, rent arrears, mesne profits, damages, and costs.

In February 2026, the High Court ruled in favor of Downtown Investments, ordering the law firm to vacate the premises and pay $148,300 in rent arrears, $224,000 in mesne profits, Shs50 million in general damages, plus interest and legal costs.

Muwema and Co Advocates subsequently launched an appeal and sought a stay of execution. In its application, the law firm argued that once it exercised its purchase option, its legal relationship with Downtown Investments transformed from a tenancy into a vendor-purchaser arrangement. The firm further cautioned that executing the monetary decree-through garnishee proceedings against its bank accounts or the attachment of individual partners’ assets-would inflict irreparable harm on the practice.

In his assessment, Justice Musisi acknowledged that the firm’s intended appeal raised substantive legal issues that warrant full consideration by a panel of appellate judges.

‘The intended appeal is arguable and not frivolous, raises substantial questions deserving determination on appeal,’ Justice Musisi ruled, noting that the legal effect of the purchase option and the computation of mesne profits were key issues to be argued.

However, the judge rejected the law firm’s request to grant the stay without requiring security. While noting that Downtown Investments had already repossessed the Kololo property, Justice Musisi emphasized that the financial obligations imposed by the lower court remained unfulfilled.

‘Recovery of possession satisfied the possessory component of the decree, but it did not discharge or secure the awards of rent arrears, mesne profits, general damages, interest and costs,’ the judge observed.

Balancing the interests of both parties, Justice Musisi concluded that forcing the firm to deposit the entire decree sum-which approaches $400,000-would be overly harsh, yet granting a stay with no security at all would unjustly expose the landlord to further delay.

He established $100,000 as a fair middle ground, pointing out that the sum represents a significant portion of the outstanding rent arrears and closely mirrors the $105,000 commitment fee the law firm had previously offered during purchase negotiations.

While Justice Musisi halted execution of the monetary aspects of the decree, including attachment, garnishee, and taxation proceedings, he explicitly clarified that the order does not reverse the eviction already executed. He cautioned that should Muwema and Co Advocates fail to provide the required security within thirty days, the stay of execution will automatically lapse.

Costs of the application will abide by the final outcome of the appeal.

Hello Rebecca, if you hear a clunking noise while driving, especially when going over bumps, it typically indicates that something in the suspension or steering system might have developed excessive play or become loose. Just because your car runs fine on smooth roads does not mean the issue is minor; smooth surfaces place little strain on the suspension components, whereas bumps can reveal worn or loose parts.

Start with the suspension

One of the first things a mechanic should inspect is the stabiliser (sway) bar links and bushings. The stabiliser bar plays an important role in controlling your vehicle’s movement when it goes over uneven surfaces or takes corners. If the links or rubber bushings wear out, they can become loose and create a distinct knocking or clunking sound, especially when one wheel hits a bump.

Another potential issue is the lower control arm and its bushings. Control arms connect the wheel assembly to the body of the vehicle and allow for controlled vertical movement of the suspension. The rubber bushings absorb movement and vibrations; as these bushings deteriorate, the control arm may shift excessively, leading to a dull clunk over potholes, speed bumps, and rough roads. It is also important to inspect the ball joints. These critical components allow the wheel to move while remaining connected to the suspension. Wear can create looseness, resulting in a knocking sound when the wheel moves over uneven ground. Since severely worn ball joints can impact wheel control, this issue should not be ignored.

The mechanic should also examine the shock absorbers and their mounting points.

While many people associate failing shocks with excessive bouncing, worn shock absorber bushings or upper mounts can produce knocking or clunking noises without significantly affecting the vehicle’s handling. If the noise seems to come from the upper part of the wheel area, the shock absorber mount may be the culprit.

Simpler explanations

There are also simpler explanations for the noise. Loose wheels, unsecured suspension fasteners, or damaged underbody components can create clunking sounds. Additionally, a spare wheel, jack, or tools that are not properly secured in the trunk can produce surprisingly convincing noises when the vehicle hits a bump.

Do not ignore the noise

Pay attention to when the noise occurs. If you hear it only when one wheel hits a pothole, the issue might involve the stabiliser link, bushing, or a suspension joint.

However, if the noise happens during braking, accelerating, or changing direction, as well as over bumps, worn control-arm bushings or another component allowing excessive movement may be more likely.

Make sure to ask the mechanic for a physical inspection of the suspension and steering components instead of just listening to the noise and immediately recommending replacements for several parts.

The vehicle may need to be elevated so the mechanic can check for looseness, damaged bushings, leaking shock absorbers, and worn joints. Some faults can be difficult to identify visually and may require physical testing for play.

While you should not panic if the car still feels stable and drives normally, it is wise to have it inspected soon rather than waiting for the noise to get louder. Suspension components work together; even a small amount of play in one part can increase stress on others.

Most importantly, if the clunk is accompanied by steering looseness, the car pulling to one side, uneven tyre wear, vibration, or a sensation that a wheel is moving independently, do not dismiss it as a mere noise. Have the vehicle checked promptly. A clunk may be an early warning that an important suspension or steering component is wearing out.

Melvin Tayebwa, Peace Nyafwono, Claire Nyapendi, Trevor Bossa Mutegeki, and Jeremiah Daniel Atwiine are set to represent Uganda at the second Sharing Olympism Forum due August 13 – 16 in Maseru, Lesotho.

Organized and hosted by the Lesotho National Olympic Committee (LNOC), the continental initiative brings together youth and sports leaders from across Africa to exchange strategies for advancing Olympism, focusing on youth engagement, inclusivity, and the role of sport in fostering peace and development.

The event is fully supported by Olympic Solidarity (OS), which is funding the host and travel logistics. Uganda hosted the first edition of this Forum.

Under the central theme ‘Promoting Olympism through Ubuntu,’ the forum will gather participants – from the Kenya, South Africa, Eswatini, Uganda, and Lesotho National Olympic Committees (NOCs) – who will engage in cultural exchange and competitive academic activities centered on contemporary African sports issues, including debate, essay writing, poetry, quizzes, and public speaking.

Uganda’s delegation, dispatched by the Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC), also has Moreen Awor, serving as coach and safeguarding officer, and NOC coordinator Joseph Oluka.

Uganda’s participants were selected from among the top performers at the 11th edition of the Olympic Values Contest held at at Olive School, Namugongo in June. The contest that had over 200 students from 23 schools across the country was organized by UOC’s Olympic Values, Education, and Culture Commission (OVEC).

“At the UOC, we do not only promote Olympic Games, but also promote Olympism,” UOC president Donald Rukare, said as he flagged off the team at their offices in Lugogo on Wednesday where he was accompanied by OVEC chairperson Annet Nakamya.

“So having these activities that promote Olympism is one way of spreading the tenets of friendship, excellence, and respect among the young people.

And we are very happy that some of these young Ugandans have been selected and we wish them all the best. Competition of this kind is one way of stimulating interest across the region of Africa,” he added.

Tayebwa – a 16 year old from Kabojja International School, Nyafwono – an 18 year old from Nabisunsa Girls’ School, and Seroma Christian High School’s Nyapendi will take part in debate.

Nyafwono will also be involved in poetry while Nyapendi takes on essay writing.

Male participants Trevor Bossa Mutegeki from Baptist High School and Jeremiah Daniel Atwiine from Muntuyera High School will take part in public speaking and quiz respectively.

Farouk Miya believes the Airtel-sponsored Masaza Cup played a defining role in preparing him for the demands of elite football as he begins a new chapter back in the Uganda Premier League with Vipers.

The Uganda Cranes forward recently returned to the Venoms after a decade-long spell abroad. He says the experience of playing before thousands of passionate supporters in the Buganda Kingdom tournament gave him the confidence to handle pressure at the highest level.

Miya returns to Vipers as one of Uganda’s most accomplished modern footballers, having played in Belgium, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Greece while becoming the country’s third all-time leading scorer with 24 goals, behind only Majid Musisi (35) and Emma Okwi (28).

However, before the European contracts, international assignments and the famous strike against Comoros that ended Uganda’s 39-year wait for Africa Cup of Nations qualification in 2017, Miya was a young player learning how to perform when expectations were high.

That foundation, he says, was built in the Masaza Cup.

The tournament has grown into one of Uganda’s biggest grassroots football competitions, bringing together the kingdom’s counties and giving young players a platform to showcase their ability before passionate supporters.

Journey to Kitende

Born in Kampala to Aisha Mutesi, a matron at Kyambogo University and the late Yusuf Muhammad, Miya’s football journey started through an unlikely connection.

Dr Eddie Butindo, a Kyambogo University lecturer and family friend, first noticed his talent.

While coaching the university women’s football team, Butindo invited the young Miya to train with the players. His ability quickly became obvious.

Butindo later introduced him to the Kampala Kids League while he was still a pupil at Gombe Primary School, before helping him join Gombe SS.

When opportunities at Gombe SS did not work out, Butindo moved him to Bulo Parents in Butambala. It was there that Miya produced an impressive performance against St Mary’s Kitende during the Buganda Schools Championship.

The display earned him a place at Kitende while in Senior Three, where he joined a school side filled with established players. Among them was captain Eddie Mubiru, but Miya’s versatility helped him force his way into the team.

While Kitende became a platform for his development, it was coach Edward Golola who introduced him to the Airtel Masaza Cup.

Mawokota breakthrough

Golola, who had been appointed head coach of Mawokota, invited Miya to join the county team in the 2013 tournament.

Initially reluctant because of his academic commitments, Miya accepted after persuasion from Golola and because Kitende director Dr Lawrence Mulindwa had strong ties with the county team.

He would leave school two days before matches, join training sessions, play and return immediately afterwards. Miya quickly became one of Mawokota’s most influential players.

The campaign reached its climax against Ssingo in the final at Nakivubo Stadium.

With the stadium packed and the attention of Buganda football supporters focused on the two counties, Miya delivered the decisive moment.

His late free kick gave Mawokota a 1-0 win and secured a memorable title in front of Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi.

‘That victory still feels fresh. Scoring the winning goal against Ssingo in the presence of the Kabaka was unforgettable. Getting the chance to shake his hand while receiving my medal remains one of the proudest moments in my career,’ he says.

Miya finished the tournament with eight goals.