Category: Daily Monitor

The only time in recent memory that consumers got some relief from the high cost of food was nearly seven years ago during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pandemic coincided with favourable weather. There were no dry spells, droughts, or floods. Conditions were perfect, guaranteeing a bumper harvest, especially at the peak of the lockdown when the economy was largely under lock and key.

Despite numerous challenges, some of which badly slowed business growth to the point of rendering many inactive, there were no major cases of Ugandans dying of hunger due to high commodity prices.

Beyond that anomaly, most crises – whether externally or internally generated – including policy pronouncements and measures, eventually hit the economy hard.

With ever-lurking speculators who cannot wait to start a fire they cannot put out, consumers are left to pay through the roof with their hard-earned income.

Fast forward, the economy is now experiencing a depreciation of the Shilling, hitting the pockets of citizens hard.

Paying the price

The same shillings now buy less in the grocery store than a month ago after being significantly weakened against the U.S. dollar. Trading at slightly over Shs4,000 compared to just above Shs3,600 a month or so ago means that foreign payments, including public debt servicing and imported raw materials, are now much more expensive than just weeks before.

With higher exchange rates, importing goods, machinery, and industrial chemicals, including inputs and raw materials for production that are badly needed in the country, means the economy is spending much more on these items than ever.

Currently, the consumer is paying the price for the Middle East and Russia-Ukraine conflicts. These conflicts have disrupted supply chains, pushing Brent crude oil prices past $100 per barrel and raising the baseline cost of petroleum products worldwide.

Currently, petrol and diesel prices are hovering over Shs7,000 per litre.

Uganda is a dependent net importer; it started dealing with the consequences in no time.

Since Uganda is a net importer of oil, higher international fuel prices directly inflate domestic transport, manufacturing, and distribution costs.

The irony

Further, the recent ad hoc pronouncement banning charcoal immediately drove up the price of cooking energy, with a sack jumping from Shs80,000 to Shs100,000 within days of the decla-ration. Once this chaos is sorted, it is unlikely the price of a sack of charcoal will revert to its previous rate. Already, the cost of doing business in Uganda is one of the highest in the region. Manufacturers and millers face high indus-trial electricity tariffs and costly imported packaging materials. This means retail prices remain high even when raw farm-gate produce prices dip, explaining why the retail prices of goods never revert to the previous bill even after a crisis.

This is in addition to transport and compliance costs. This is even before factoring in taxation and policy adjustments, such as a Shs200-per-litre increase in excise duty on petrol and diesel, which directly spikes pump prices.

The irony is, while the final consumer hopes things will get better after the storm calms down, the fact is that the train has left the station and there is no turning back.

This means the crisis has simply ushered in a new normal-high prices that will remain either static or drop marginally, but overall, the cost of commodities will still be high.

Analogy

Imagine you are driving a car that has a leaky engine. Because of the leak, the car slowly loses power over time. Suddenly, you hit a huge Kampala pothole that jolts the car and causes your speed to drop instantly, say, by 10 km/h.

Once you are past the pothole, the jolting stops and your speed stops dropping rapidly.

However, because the engine is still leaking, the car does not automatically speed back up to where it was before. But you keep cruising forward at that new, slower speed.

That is the kind of ride a consumer has to negotiate after a crisis, major policy shift, or pronouncement.

Experts’ analysis

Dr Adam Mugume, an economist, notes that price movement and the eventual sticking of it northward is an expected economic outcome.

‘Except food crops, prices generally do not revert to their previous levels following a shock.

‘Instead, it is the rate of price increase, or inflation, that declines,’ Dr Mugume, who serves as the director of research and policy at Bank of Uganda, told Business Daily.

He continues: ‘Food crop prices, however, are largely influenced by seasonal factors and may therefore fluctuate accordingly or gradually adjust upward, often with a lag, following increases in the prices of other goods and services.

‘Other commodities, such as fuel, are influenced by global market developments as well as domestic taxes, which tend to be permanent and can therefore sustain higher prices.’

As if addressing speculators, Dr Mugume, says temporary factors, including market noise and transitory shocks, ‘may influence short-term exchange rate movements.’

Researcher’s view

In his analysis, Mr Emmanuel Erem, a research fellow at Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), describes the tendency for the upward movement of prices as a common economic pattern. ‘It is described as ‘downward price rigidity’, meaning prices respond quickly to rising costs but are slower to adjust when those costs fall.

‘In fuel markets, this is sometimes called the ‘rockets and feathers’ effect; prices rise like rockets and fall like feathers,’ researcher Erem explains to Business Daily.

Kill in profit

There are several explanations to that, first, he says: ‘Businesses usually pass on cost increases quickly to protect their margins and ensure they can afford their next supplies.

‘When costs decline, the adjustment may take longer because some businesses still hold stock bought at higher prices or have supply contracts negotiated during the crisis.

‘They may also wait to see whether the improvement will last before reducing prices. These factors can explain a temporary delay, but they become less convincing if costs remain lower for a sustained period.’

He continues: ‘Second, the easing of one cost does not mean that all costs have returned to their previous levels.

‘In Uganda, for example, international oil prices may fall while the shilling remains weaker against the dollar.

‘Because imported fuel is paid for in foreign currency, that depreciation can partly or fully offset the benefit of cheaper oil.

‘Pump prices also include taxes, freight, storage and distribution costs, which do not necessarily fall alongside crude oil prices.

Consequently, a 10 percent decline in international oil prices should not automatically be expected to produce a 10 percent reduction at the pump.’

The same, he says, applies to transport fares and other commodities. Fuel is only one component of the cost of operating a taxi, bus or truck.

Spare parts, tyres, vehicle purchases, repairs, insurance and loan repayments also matter. If these costs remain high, fares may decline only marginally even when fuel becomes cheaper.

‘Similarly, the price of food reflects production, packaging, storage and transport costs, as well as the availability of supplies. A reduction in one input may therefore provide only partial relief,’ says Mr Erem.

Competition effect

He further argues in his analysis that that competition determines how much of that relief reaches consumers. Where customers can easily compare prices and switch suppliers, businesses face greater pressure to pass on savings. Where consumers have few alternatives or prices are difficult to compare, businesses have more room to maintain higher margins.

Some may also use falling costs to recover losses incurred during the crisis. However, prices remaining high does not, by itself, prove profiteering or collusion; that requires evidence about actual costs and margins.

Another important distinction is between falling inflation and falling prices. If inflation falls from 10 percent to 4 percent, prices are generally still rising, just more slowly.

‘For example, a basket that rises from Shs100,000 to Shs110,000 after 10 percent inflation would rise further to Shs114,400 with another year of 4 percent inflation.

‘This explains why official reports can show improving inflation while households still feel that life is expensive.

‘Economic stability often means that rapid price increases have stopped, rather than that earlier increases have been reversed,’ he says.

Foreign exchange

The exchange rate requires a slightly different explanation. It is the price of foreign currency, and there is no guarantee that it will return to where it was before a shock.

The shilling can recover when temporary pressures ease, but the extent of recovery depends on export earnings, remittances, investment inflows, import demand and external debt payments, among other factors.

‘If the underlying demand for dollars remains higher relative to supply, the currency may stabilise at a weaker level. Stability should therefore not be confused with a return to the previous exchange rate,’ says researcher Erem.

He concludes: ‘The practical test of recovery is not simply whether inflation has slowed, but whether household incomes and purchasing power are recovering.’

Government’s take

In an interview with Business Daily, the deputy secretary to the Treasury, Finance Ministry, Mr Patrick Ocailap, says it is a normal occurrence for prices never to stay static as the economy grows.

He explains that price movement, especially that which goes up and remains there, could be as a result of separate but disturbing shocks.

For example, he says after the global financial crisis, there was an Ebola shock, then the Covid pandemic, then the Russia-Ukraine conflict, then the Middle East crisis that keeps unraveling, then another Ebola scare, then some dry spells affecting production. So several factors are responsible for price movements.

‘You must never forget that the exchange rate is never meant to be fixed, and so are the prices. Not that you want prices to be going up abnormally, but there will always be normal geometric progression.

‘This is the case for economies worldwide,’ says Mr Ocailap.

Pain killers

Mr Ocailap noted that the Bank of Uganda is managing the situation that could see prices escalate out of hand.

This, he says, is done by raising the Central Bank Rate (CBR), currently set at 12 percent.

The intention is to increase borrowing costs for commercial banks, which discourages private sector and household borrowing and slows spending.

This tool also, as a consequence, reduces excess liquidity or cash in the economy. For the government, Mr Ocailap says they are careful not to overborrow domestically, and operate prudently with what they have in store.

Dear Tingasiga:

‘Kindly remember your officer whom you appointed and entrusted with responsibilities.’

With those words, published in New Vision last week, Ms Patricia Apolot, wife of retired Lt Gen Peter Elwelu, appealed to President Museveni.

Security operatives, she said, had searched the family’s home in Soroti more than four times in two weeks, over allegations that her husband was plotting a rebellion. I am supremely underqualified to comment on those allegations and will stick to my policy of leaving matters of generals to the generals.

But her distress is a normal human response to an encounter with powerful, armed people who can kill you in seconds. Hers is the terror of the knock on the door, of boots in the bedroom, of not knowing where your husband will sleep tonight. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of Ugandans have known that terror since independence 64 years ago.

Most of them have been small, nameless members of Frantz Fanon’s Wretched of the Earth. They carried their grief in private. No newspaper recorded their pleas. No president heard them, though his word could have saved their loved ones. Nobody asked him to remember them.

Our country has an unknown number of widows and orphans whose loved ones died simply because politicians would not negotiate and compromise. The earliest such killings I heard about took place in 1963. I was in Primary Five, already reading and hearing news I could not understand except through the faces of my elders.

That March, Sir Edward Muteesa II, Kabaka of Buganda, went on what he called a ‘hunting trip’ in Bunyoro’s lost counties, with ex-soldiers whom he settled at Ndaiga and elsewhere to sway the region’s political future.

Their methods were brutal. On March 23, Prince Constant Kiiza of the Bunyoro royal clan begged them to stop beating a pregnant woman and take him instead. They beat him to death.

Banyoro witnesses said Kiiza had first been brought before the Kabaka, who ordered his killing. At Kaluguza market, with the Kabaka reportedly present, police opened fire with sub-machine guns, killing one person. The dead were ordinary Banyoro, caught in a storm they did not create. No one, to my knowledge, answered for their deaths. Their families buried them in silence.

That violence was the opening lap of a bloody relay that Uganda has run ever since. The baton passes from one decade’s executioner to the next, each runner believing his power shields him from the turn of the wheel. The political compromises that shielded Muteesa collapsed in the flames of the 1966 Mengo Crisis, which sent the Kabaka into exile.

The Baganda that were killed, each precious to a family, are now mere statistics in the dark catalogue of our self-destruction, even as we sing our National Anthem’s pledge: ‘United, free, for liberty, together we’ll always stand.’

Then came Idi Amin’s brutal decade, followed by the Luwero Triangle that bled from 1981 to 1985. The cycle has merely been refined since 1986: Namokora in 1986; Mukura on July 11, 1989, where 69 young men suffocated in a goods wagon into which government soldiers had crammed them; Burcoro in 1991.

Then Kasese came in November 2016, an operation overseen by none other than Elwelu himself, who preferred immediate slaughter at Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere’s palace to a sustained siege that might have ended in surrender. In November 2020, dozens were shot dead on Kampala’s streets in broad daylight.

Pause with me at Mukura, Tingasiga. Imagine the darkness of that wagon, the heat, the young men clawing for air and calling for mothers who could not hear them. Then multiply that night by every massacre on this list, and by the many that no list records.

Our tragedy is that today’s hunter invariably becomes tomorrow’s prey. Men who once commanded the state’s machinery of violence with unblinking cruelty end up stripped of rank, fleeing the very guns they once directed. When their turn comes, their families plead for the rights, fairness and empathy that these men denied others. In a country governed by the gun, impunity is only a temporary lease.

Why do ordinary citizens join an enterprise that offers them nothing but a front-row seat at their own destruction?

The elite do not fight their own battles. They outsource them to the marginalised. When the powerful fall out over ambition, ego and the spoils of the state, they weaponise the regional and tribal anxieties of the people who feed the land.

Cloaking naked greed in the robes of tribal defence or national liberation, they trick the ordinary Ugandan into picking up a machete or a rifle. The poor die protecting the privileges of the rich, until the wheel turns and a new master takes the throne.

We must refuse to run this race any longer. Ugandans have tried violence under Obote I, Amin, Obote II, Okello and throughout the current dispensation. We know the results of this 64-year experiment: rivers of blood, generational trauma and suffocating uncertainty about tomorrow. The bullet has never built a hospital, fed a hungry child or established justice. It has only bequeathed the cycle of revenge to the next generation. To break this curse, we must first silence the guns. The use of state security agencies to settle political scores must end.

Armed rebellion must never be an option again, for it perpetuates a useless destructive cycle. We must move from a culture of force to a culture of law, where human rights are the bedrock of our coexistence, not a foreign luxury.

Second, our current and aspiring leaders must embrace honest, patient dialogue and the uncomfortable art of compromise. I was honoured to live in Makerere’s Northcote Hall for five years, but I never agreed with its motto: ‘Either we win or they lose.’ Though said in jest, it became the core belief of our political leaders, the ‘enlightened ones’ included. Leadership is not the annihilation of one’s rivals. We also need a transitional justice mechanism that acknowledges past horrors, provides accountability and heals the grievances that make our people so easy to manipulate.

Above all, we must return to a truth our political history has desecrated: the sanctity of every human life. A nation cannot prosper when its leaders’ lives are treated as sacred while the lives of nameless peasants are dismissed as collateral damage. The true measure of Uganda’s progress is not the survival of its generals but the safety, dignity and peace of its most vulnerable citizens, the Wretched of the Earth who dig the soil and receive nothing but graves in return.

‘This Kasese thing was nothing to me,’ Elwelu once told journalists.

‘Forget about Kasese,’ he added. Today his wife asks the President to remember his officer. Ejakait Elwelu’s distress, and her plea, carry a lesson we must not squander.

Let us remember Prince Kiiza and the peasants of the lost counties, the 69 at Mukura, the more than 100 at Kasese, at least 15 of them children, and the countless nameless ones whose families never had a newspaper to carry their cry.

Ambulance drivers across Western Uganda have appealed to the Ministry of Health to urgently address their poor working conditions, citing extreme exhaustion, lack of medical cover, and long working hours that compromise both their health and patient safety.

The concerns were raised during a regional capacity-building training held this week in Mbarara City, where emergency vehicle operators revealed that overwhelming workloads and inadequate welfare continue to severely hinder their productivity.

Speaking at the engagement, Mr. Justus Agaba, an ambulance driver attached to Kiruhura Health Center IV, detailed the intense physical and mental strain operators endure daily due to staffing shortages.

‘I am compelled to work 24/7, which is not easy because I usually need to rest as a human being,’ Mr. Agaba said. ‘Government should look at employing more than one ambulance driver, especially in places where the volume of emergencies is high. Being human, one can make a mistake, which may cost a life.’

Mr. Agaba also expressed concern over the lack of health protection for emergency personnel who operate on the front lines of medical crises without safety nets.

‘We request that our welfare be paid attention to. For example, we don’t have medical insurance. Right now, if I fall sick, the entire medical bills will be quite expensive for an ambulance driver. We are not only drivers; we are different from other drivers,’ he added.

Highlighting technical gaps within the emergency response framework, Mr. Joseph Ssenkumba, Head of Training at the Association of Ambulance Drivers Uganda, noted that many emergency drivers lack formal preparation for pre-hospital care and routine handling of emergency patients.

‘I have realized that ambulance drivers stretch a lot; some of them work very long duties both at night and day, and some work alone, which should not be the case,’ Mr. Ssenkumba observed. ‘My call to government is to give more facilities and train them on how to handle patients because their duty is so critical-one mistake can cost a life.’

Addressing the drivers, the Commissioner for Emergency Medical Services at the Ministry of Health, Dr. John Baptist Waniaye Nambohe, acknowledged the operational challenges and emphasized that the training aimed to equip drivers with essential skills while offering a constructive platform to address their grievances.

‘So as key stakeholders, we understand they have grievances, and we hold such engagements to see what we can do to solve them,’ Dr. Waniaye stated. ‘These drivers are supposed to assist the paramedics in ensuring that the patient is moved safely on the side of the road and support putting this patient on a stretcher so that they are moved safely into the ambulance. We believe that now they have what it takes to do that perfectly.’

Dr. Waniaye further cautioned the operators against extorting patients, warning that unauthorized fees degrade public trust in the national health system.

‘We have cautioned them on illegal charges for ambulance services-that they should not charge patients unnecessarily unless that ambulance charge has been cleared by the authorities,’ Dr. Waniaye warned.

Outlining the current status of the country’s emergency fleet, Dr. Waniaye revealed that Uganda currently operates approximately 480 ambulances. About 170 of these are non-standard Type A transport vehicles remaining from older procurements. However, between 2020 and 2026, the government procured 306 modern, standard ambulances to improve emergency services across the country.

While ambulance coverage at the constituency level currently stands at 54 percent, Dr. Waniaye reassured the public that the government remains committed to expanding the fleet, with plans already underway to procure an additional 50 standard ambulances under the current financial year’s budget.

Kyaggwe finally have a Masaza Cup title to show for years of investment, near misses and growing expectations after edging five-time champions Gomba 1-0 in Saturday’s final at Muteesa II Stadium, Wankulukuku.

For a county that had repeatedly threatened to conquer Buganda’s premier football competition without completing the job, the victory was a moment of redemption and the culmination of a project that has steadily gathered momentum over the past three seasons.

Kyaggwe had not won the competition since 2004, when all 18 counties of Buganda Kingdom were brought together in a tournament designed to promote unity and social cohesion among people living in the kingdom.

Their previous best finish was reaching the 2024 final, only to lose 1-0 to Buddu. Gomba, Ssingo, Buddu and Bulemeezi were among the counties that had enjoyed the ultimate prize while Kyaggwe continued to wait.

That wait finally ended in front of a passionate Kyaggwe following that turned Wankulukuku into a sea of celebration. The final was also graced by the Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, who presented the trophy to the victorious county.

Some supporters had travelled overnight to beat the National Cleaning Day restrictions, which limited movement between 7am and 10am. Their voices remained prominent inside and outside the stadium, creating an atmosphere that underlined the importance of the occasion.

Second-half substitute George Isingoma Kato delivered the decisive moment, finishing a well-worked move after combining with David Mugalu on the right flank. The attack unsettled Gomba’s defence, with Collin Ssemanda losing possession before Kato capitalised to beat goalkeeper Bashir Ssenyonga.

Kato, who is also a reserve player at Vipers SC, had joined Kyaggwe’s campaign at the quarter-final stage but made an immediate impact when called upon in the final.

“It’s a very special moment for me as a player. I came on and made the difference,” Kato said.

Patience pays off

The goal rewarded a Kyaggwe side that had controlled much of the first half but initially lacked the composure to turn its superiority into goals.

Mugalu and Lauben Lubwama were among those who found promising opportunities but failed to convert, while Gomba relied on the defensive organisation marshalled by Herbert Onen to keep the contest tight.

Kyaggwe continued probing until Kato found the breakthrough against opponents who have built a reputation for delivering in decisive matches.

Head coach Ronald Ssali credited his players’ patience and the contribution of his technical team.

“We had many moments but I’m happy we were patient to wait for our winning moment. This is a final and patience is key,” Ssali said.

He also acknowledged the support of fellow coaches William Kyeswa and Juma Ssekiziyivu, who helped maintain the team’s preparations, particularly when he was away with Bukedea Comprehensive School at the FEASSA Games in Tanzania.

“I have behind me a strong team of coaches and they made this work easy for me. Each one’s contribution was key in our success,” he added.

The triumph was particularly significant for kit sponsor Samuel Kasasa, whose connection with the county stretches beyond financial support.

Kasasa played for Kyaggwe as a left back for 10 years before retiring in 2014. He had hoped to step away from the game after hanging up his boots but was instead persuaded to become one of the team’s financial supporters.

He accepted the responsibility despite uncertainty over whether the county would ever get its hands on the trophy.

“There have always been signs but we have been unlucky on many occasions. I can’t believe that we are now among the winners,” Kasasa said.

Investment finally rewarded

Kyaggwe’s breakthrough has not been accidental. The county has built a strong supporter base over the past three seasons under the leadership of its county chief, Vincent Matovu, while retaining a core of experienced players around whom younger talent has been introduced.

Defenders Vincent Agaku, Emmanuel Shikanga, captain Julius Kato and Godfrey Arijole have provided continuity to a team that has gradually become one of the competition’s most consistent challengers.

Their progress has also been supported by improved player welfare and financial backing from politicians, Members of Parliament and businesspeople associated with the county.

The victory also carries a measure of redemption after last year’s elimination against eventual champions Buweekula. Kyaggwe had raised complaints about the circumstances surrounding their exit and felt their grievances were not adequately addressed by the organisers.

But this time, there was no room for another near miss. The trophy is theirs.

Celebrations spread across Mukono and surrounding communities after the final, with supporters lining roads from Seeta towards the Jinja-Kayunga roundabout to await the returning team and its trophy.

Bars and entertainment spots organised victory parties that continued late into the night, despite persistent rain and chilly conditions.

Every morning at 3:00 am, long before the sun rises over the rolling hills of Pajule Sub-county, 19-year-old Brenda Lakot trudges two kilometres into a pitch-black valley carrying a 20-litre yellow jerrycan. Her destination is not a borehole or a protected spring, but a shallow, stagnant stream shared by three villages and domestic livestock.

The water Lakot draws is murky brown, dotted with insect larvae, and carries a faint sulphurous stench. Yet for Lakot and more than 600 residents of Palenga Aywee Village in Pader District, this contaminated pool has been their sole water source for nearly two decades.

‘We strain it through a cloth, but the children still get sick,’ says Lakot’s mother, 42-year-old Santa Akello, gesturing toward a red, scaly rash covering her seven-year-old son’s legs. ‘Every month it is the same thing: diarrhoea, skin itching, or red eyes. We left the IDP camps in 2007 to come home and rebuild our lives, but how do you rebuild when the water you drink makes your family sick?’

In 2007, thousands of families packed up their belongings and exited Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps across northern Uganda following the cessation of hostilities. At the time, the government and international development partners pledged comprehensive reconstruction, basic service delivery, and rural development. Billions of shillings subsequently flowed into the region through flagship recovery initiatives such as the Peace, Recovery and Development Plan (PRDP) and the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF).

Nineteen years later, Palenga Aywee stands as a stark indictment of the deep equity gaps hidden beneath Uganda’s post-conflict success story. Official figures from the Ministry of Water and Environment estimate rural water coverage in Pader District at over 70 percent. Yet, an entire generation in Palenga Aywee has grown up drinking untreated surface water, resulting in recurring disease outbreaks, overwhelming local health facilities, and fostering a deep sense of institutional abandonment.

The human toll of this crisis is felt directly at Pajule Health Centre IV. A health worker at the facility, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to address the press, revealed that waterborne illnesses account for a staggering share of weekly outpatient visits from Pajule Sub-county, dominated by cases of acute diarrhoea, amoebiasis, and severe bacterial skin and eye infections.

‘When communities drink from open surface streams, you are fighting a losing battle against infectious diseases,’ explained a clinical officer at the health centre. ‘We prescribe antibiotics and ointments, but patients return two weeks later because they go home to the very same contaminated water. The ultimate cure isn’t sitting in our pharmacy; it’s a clean water point in the village.’

For school-going youths like Lakot, the burden extends beyond physical health into the classroom. During the dry season, fetching water takes up to three hours every morning, causing chronic lateness, physical exhaustion, and missed instructional time.

Binborn Kimara, the LC1 chairperson of Palenga Aywee, noted that local leaders have formally petitioned the Pajule Sub-county Council and the Pader District Local Government in nearly every annual planning cycle since 2008 without success.

‘Each year, we are told our village has been prioritised for the next financial year’s District Water and Sanitation Development Conditional Grant,’ Kimara lamented. ‘It is always in vain, as each year the drilling rigs go somewhere else.’

Palenga Aywee’s plight reflects a wider systemic breakdown across Pader, where residents in 793 villages still depend on unprotected sources for daily domestic use. Alfred Okello, the Pajule Sub-county chairperson, confirmed that his office recently reached out to World Vision, a non-governmental development partner operating in the area, to request intervention for a new borehole.

Pader District Water Officer Patrick Olanya admitted that out of the district’s 877 villages, only 84 currently enjoy reliable access to clean water, citing severely constrained local government budgets. Olanya added that out of 1,350 total domestic water points across the district, nearly 280 boreholes and shallow wells have been non-functional for over five years and are now classified as abandoned due to technical breakdowns, poor water quality, or depleted water tables.

The crisis spans the entire Acholi sub-region. While approximately 87 percent of households across the sub-region rely nominally on boreholes, spring wells, and protected water points, widespread breakdown and long-term abandonment leave communities stranded.

In neighbouring Agago District, where overall rural water coverage is reported at 85 percent and urban coverage at 75 percent, District Water Officer Emmanuel Oroma acknowledged that roughly 33 percent of households still lack functional access. Out of Agago’s 1,402 domestic water points, 627 stand abandoned and non-functional.

A similar pattern persists across other districts in the sub-region.

In Omoro District, despite an official coverage rate of 95 percent, about 25 percent of the district’s 121 villages struggle for clean water, with 426 of its 745 water points abandoned. In Nwoya District, official coverage drops to a critical low of 39 percent, with 168 of 621 water points out of service. Meanwhile, in Kitgum District, where coverage stands at 83 percent, District Water Officer Willy Picho confirmed that 116 villages-representing roughly 20 percent of local households-continue to draw water from unsafe sources daily.

Police in Aswa West Region have recovered a sub-machine gun (SMG) that was stolen five months ago during a violent attack on the Officer in Charge of Lalogi Police Station in Omoro District.

The firearm was recovered on Sunday, November 1, 2026, after a resident of Barolemo Village, Kalumu Parish in Paicho Sub-county, Gulu District, stumbled upon it while clearing bushes around the compound of his late father, Daniel Komakech.

The police spokesperson for Aswa West and East regions, SP Patrick Jimmy Okema, confirmed the recovery on Monday, revealing that the firearm matched the details of the gun robbed from the police officer in May.

“Upon recovery and examination, the firearm was identified as the very SMG stolen from Lalogi Police Station. Although it had rusted, its serial numbers remained clearly visible,” SP Okema told this publication.

According to police records, on May 11, 2026, at around 8:30 pm, two unidentified assailants armed with a heavy metal object attacked Assistant Inspector of Police (AIP) Beatrice Awor while she was resting in her house during a heavy downpour. The assailants struck AIP Awor on the head, leaving her with severe injuries, before making off with the police rifle (registration number UG POL 48014235-15938) and 30 rounds of ammunition.

The five-month hunt for the weapon came to an end when Mr. Richard Otim noticed a white polythene bag buried beneath a tree on his late father’s property. Suspecting something unusual, he inspected the package, discovered the weapon, and immediately alerted the Local Council I (LC I) Chairperson, who then notified security forces.

SP Okema noted that in addition to the rifle, officers retrieved two magazines wrapped alongside the firearm containing 26 and six rounds of ammunition, respectively.

Preliminary security findings indicate that the late Komakech had been arrested on June 19, 2026, alongside Oscar Ojok, a resident of Lalogi, and Vincent Opiro, a resident of Nwoya District, over involvement in a wave of aggravated robberies and murders across the Aswa sub-region.

“During the arrest operation on June 19, 2026, Daniel Komakech was fatally shot after allegedly attempting to disarm one of the security officers,” Okema explained.

He added that the two surviving accomplices are currently facing trial.

“Ojok Oscar and Opiro Vincent were charged in connection with other cases of aggravated robbery and murder before the UPDF General Court Martial and are currently on remand,” SP Okema said.

Security agencies further suspect that Ojok, a local resident of Lalogi, was the mastermind behind the targeted May attack on the police commander’s residence. Police investigations into the broader criminal network remain ongoing.

Here’s what Ugandan students consider appropriate gifts during exam season:

I think parents should give their children gifts that are meaningful and helpful to their growth, such as clothes, and other necessities. Gifts should not only be expensive items like cars. What matters most is the love and thought behind the gift, rather than its price.

Precious Nankebe

S6, Comprehensive College Kitetikka

The best gift a parent can give a child is prayers and presence and words of encouragement. Doing too much is gifting luxurious gifts like expensive phones, that is very spoiling.

Raymond Bateze

S2 St Gonzaga Budini SS Kaliro District

In my opinion, acceptable gifts are those that motivate children to work hard and become responsible people. Parents can reward good performance with school requirements, clothes or even an opportunity to participate in activities we enjoy. However, gifts should not make children feel entitled or believe that they deserve everything they ask for.

Bashir Kalanzi Ssempiira,

S6, Comprehensive College Kitetikka

Encouragement is an enough gift. Too much money is doing too much as a parent. Give us average money and a success card with words of encouragement and maybe more physical gifts like a necklace, each time I will see it in exams around my neck, I will remember your words of encouragement. Luxurious gifts like trending shoes and phones is doing too much.

Steven Bwanga

S3 St Gonzaga Budini S.S. Kaliro District

I believe parents should give children gifts that are appropriate for their age and contribute to their well-being. Items such as clothes, learning materials, toys and sports equipment can help us learn and enjoy our childhood. Parents should also understand that not every child needs the same gift, and they should avoid giving things that may negatively affect our studies or behaviour.

Shifurah Arish Nakitende

S2, Comprehensive College Kitetikka

I think parents should give children gifts that make them happy while also teaching them important values. For example, parents can buy us sports equipment, games or other things we need. However, gifts like phones and unrestricted access to social media should come with guidance and rules so that they do not distract us from schoolwork. Above all, love, encouragement and time spent together are also valuable gifts.

Shaban Raish

S3 Comprehensive College Kitetikka

Things like branded cups are acceptable and should be gifted. However, electronics gadgets like phones and laptops are just too much and some students misuse them.

Jalirah Namutamba.

S3 St Gonzaga Budini S.S, Kaliro district

I believe parents should give children gifts that encourage good behaviour, education and responsibility. Things like school bags, clothes and sports equipment are acceptable because they help us develop our talents. Parents should also spend time with their children because attention and guidance are gifts that money cannot buy.

Isaac Mukisa

S2, Comprehensive College Kitetikka

Normally what parents do is fantasize a lot, thinking it’s very expensive gifts that will make us pass, but it’s not. Instead it affects our cognitive reasoning negatively and we end up not performing well because we are more focused on the expensive gifts. Parents, please don’t send us your fantasies, instead come to school physically and encourage us to focus, this is better and a success card too with some small money not more than Shs 50,000.

Jesse Avril Besimire

S3 St Gonzaga Budini S.S. Kaliro District.

Parents should gift things like frame works with encouraging words like Bible verses in success frames. A lot of money distracts us. Money like Shs 200,000 a week is too much, messes with our concentration. Shs 50,000 is enough for the exams period.

Joseph Muwanguzi

S3 St Gonzaga Budini S.S Kaliro District

A success card and a picture frame and some money like Shs 50,000 is acceptable. Overboard is for flower bouquets of money hitting Shs 1m. That is too much and bad.

Maria Joy Nangobi,

S3 st Gonzaga Budini S.S. Kaliro District

Normal success card and a t-shirt branded with the students photo is enough but some parents exaggerate gifting kids lots of money like Shs 1m and some even cars. It affects our concentration

Vivian Norah Akoth

S5 St Gonzaga Budini S.S Kaliro District

Parents need to know that we are all from different backgrounds when gifting. So they shouldn’t exaggerate things like cars, that is over doing it. Gifts like frames with encouraging words and vacuum cups and success cards are enough.

Hudha Namusubo

S.3 St Gonzaga Budini S.S Kaliro District

I think different kids are different, understand your child 1st before gifting them. Gift them things that will make them comfortable. Rich kids can be gifted things like expensive phones, they are already used, poor kids shouldn’t be gifted luxurious things, they will be too excited and lose focus. For rich kids, things like gifting them a house is doing too much, they see no value in studying.

Abubakari Luba

S3 St Gonzaga Budini SS Kaliro District

I think parents should give their children gifts according to their needs and the family’s financial ability. Gifts such as clothes, shoes, and educational materials are good because they support our studies and personal development. Parents should avoid competing with others by buying expensive gifts that may put them under financial pressure.

Ruth Arinda

S5, Comprehensive College Kitetikka

Gifts like prayers, cakes, presence are acceptable but luxurious things like expensive phones is doing too much, they even distract us from concentrating

Ramah Kibedi

S2. St Gonzaga Budini SS Kaliro District

There is always a certain delight in being back in Moscow. Between the fashion, the food and the unmistakable flair of the city, there is never a shortage of things to enjoy. But beyond the beautiful sights and stylish crowds, my return to the Russian capital for the 2026 BRICS+ Fashion Summit and Moscow Fashion Week offered something more to think about: the future of fashion in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, even for African creatives.

Held from September 28 to 30, the BRICS+ Fashion Summit brought together industry experts, designers, business leaders and fashion professionals from more than 60 countries to discuss the forces shaping the industry. Alongside it, Moscow Fashion Week, which ran from September 26 to October 1, provided a closer look at the creativity, craftsmanship and cultural influences finding their way onto the runway.

And if there was one conversation that stayed with me, it was about artificial intelligence and what its growing influence means for human creativity.

There is no denying that AI is making its way into almost every corner of the fashion industry. From predicting consumer behavior and generating design concepts to creating digital visuals and improving production processes, the technology is changing how brands work.

At the Summit’s session, Artificial Intelligence in the Creative Process: Tool, or Co-Author?, industry professionals explored a question that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: when technology can create designs in seconds, what happens to the human creativity that has always made fashion exciting?

Kanika Goyal, founder and creative director of Indian brand KGL, offered a useful perspective, arguing that while AI can assist with design, it cannot understand how a model feels or whether a particular piece of embroidery belongs in a specific place. Those decisions still require human judgement.

Sergio Puig, director of Mediterranean Fashion Week Valencia, also cautioned against the possibility of brands losing their individuality if everyone relies on the same technological tools.

It is a fair concern. Fashion is more than putting together colours, fabrics and silhouettes that look good on a screen. It is about emotion, identity, culture and the occasional creative decision that makes you wonder how someone even thought of it.

AI can generate ideas, analyze trends and make the design process faster, but can it replicate the experience of a designer drawing inspiration from childhood memories, traditional craftsmanship or a culture they have spent years understanding?

Perhaps the bigger question is not whether AI will replace designers, but whether designers will allow it to dictate their creativity.

For emerging brands, particularly those working with limited resources, AI presents opportunities to compete in a market that might otherwise be out of reach. However, the challenge will be using these tools without producing collections that all look and feel the same.

Technology may be changing the fashion business, but originality remains its greatest currency.

Kiko Romeo Brings Kenyan Rhythm to Moscow

Away from the conference rooms, Moscow Fashion Week offered its own compelling argument for why human creativity still matters. I also had the chance to experience some incredible runway showcases, thanks to our fashion facilitators, Ksusah Shalygina and Angelika Sarkisyan, who ensured we had front-row seats to take in the best of the fashion week.

One of the highlights for me was the showcase by Kenyan fashion brand Kiko Romeo. There was something particularly exciting about watching an African brand bring its designs to an international runway, accompanied by the sounds of Muthoni Drummer Queen and Blinky Bill’s Sina Makosa.

The music gave the presentation an unmistakable East African flavour, adding rhythm and personality to the models’ strides. It was a reminder that fashion does not exist in isolation. The brand unveiled its printed collection consisting of cotton easy styling pieces that brought that African flair to the runway.

For African designers, platforms such as Moscow Fashion Week offer an opportunity to introduce their work to audiences beyond the continent, while showing that African fashion is not a single aesthetic or story. It is a collection of influences, ideas and creative expressions that deserve space in the global conversation.

The BRICS+ Fashion Summit reinforced this point through discussions about cultural identity, international cooperation and the importance of helping local brands access new markets.

For African fashion to grow internationally, visibility is important, but so are the business relationships, production capacity and infrastructure that allow designers to turn attention into sustainable opportunities.

Another memorable presentation took place at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, where Moscow-based Viva Vox staged its showcase.

The setting alone made the experience special. The museum’s red walls, sculptures and striking architecture became part of the visual story, offering a refreshing departure from the conventional runway.

Viva Vox presented a black themed collection, with elongated silhouettes, leather pieces, bodysuits, loose coats and trench coats featuring stand collars. Dark sunglasses added a sharp finishing touch, while sandy brown and beige tones softened the collection.

The interplay between eveningwear and street-style details was particularly interesting. Against the museum’s grand backdrop, the clothes seemed to occupy a space between fashion, art and everyday life.

It was also a fitting reminder of a recurring theme at the Summit: fashion and cultural institutions have much to offer each other. Museums preserve history, while designers reinterpret it, giving familiar ideas new meaning for contemporary audiences.

Moscow-based Solangel is one of the labels I always look forward to seeing at Moscow Fashion Week, and this season was no exception. The Designer, Irena Soprano dedicated the collection to Russian ballet, sending voluminous dresses, sculptural corsets, long gloves, pearls and crystals down the runway. Real ballerinas in classic tutus joined the models, adding a theatrical touch to the showcase. There was an exciting Hollywood connection, too with this showcase. One of Solangel’s creations that featured in this showcase recently appeared in The Devil Wears Prada 2, worn by Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly.

Beyond these highlights, Moscow Fashion Week offered a broad picture of the industry’s diversity, from experimental graduate collections to designers reinterpreting traditional Russian dress, intricate lacework and heritage textiles.

There were collections that celebrated history, others that embraced bold contemporary silhouettes, and presentations that demonstrated how fashion can tell stories without relying on words.

Together, they reinforced the idea that while technology may influence how clothes are designed, produced and marketed, the industry still thrives on the ability to communicate something meaningful through what we wear.

And then, of course, there was Moscow itself.

While I had come for the fashion, our daily strolls from the Ararat Park Hotel, where we were staying, to the various show venues became an experience of their own. Along the way, we enjoyed the city’s remarkable sights, including Red Square and its surrounding historic buildings.

There is something beautiful about walking through a city where history and modern life sit so comfortably alongside each other. Moscow’s architecture, grand streets and rich cultural character provided a fitting backdrop.

I returned for the clothes, the designers and the conversations, but left with an even greater appreciation of the city. Moscow’s beauty is, in my view, underrated, and experiencing it on foot made that realization even sweeter.

If the BRICS+ Fashion Summit was about imagining where fashion is headed, Moscow Fashion Week was a reminder of what makes it worth watching in the first place: the people, the stories, the culture and the creativity behind every collection.

AI may well become an indispensable part of the industry’s future. But as long as fashion continues to draw from human experience, cultural memory and individual imagination, I suspect its soul will remain firmly in human hands.

The tradition of wishing candidates success in examinations through cards bearing messages of encouragement and prayers is increasingly being overshadowed by expensive gifts, including cash, smartphones and other valuables, raising concerns about inequality, distraction and unhealthy relationships among learners.

Teachers, parents and education leaders warn that what began as a simple gesture of goodwill is gradually turning into a display of wealth, with some candidates comparing what they receive from their parents, friends and romantic partners.

They say the practice risks creating psychological pressure among learners from less privileged families, while expensive gifts exchanged between school-going boyfriends and girlfriends raise questions about parental supervision, school discipline and the values being imparted to children.

Mr Filbert Baguma, the secretary general of the Uganda National Teachers Union (Unatu), said the practice had grown beyond its original purpose and requires clear regulation by the Ministry of Education and Sports.

‘The issue is regulating some of the acts. Some of those issues start small, but are not regulated. They end up being exaggerated. And that is where the problem is,’ he said.

Mr Baguma said success cards, which initially cost about Shs 1,500, have evolved to include musical messages and, increasingly, expensive gifts that risk distorting the meaning of wishing candidates success.

‘They improved and they have those with music,’ he said.

‘Then they improved and over time, it has now grown out of shape. That’s how the others outside the parents, outside the siblings, are now taking advantage to exploit the learners, especially the girls.’

Mr Baguma said the public display of gifts creates an environment in which learners compare what they receive, potentially making those from poorer households feel less loved or valued.

‘When the learners are in the school setting, once they start seeing what others are receiving, because those who receive with pride, they share with their colleagues. And show, ‘This is what my boyfriend has sent, this is what my parents have sent’,’ he said.

He added that some parents were also caught up in the desire to raise the standard of gifts, despite the different financial circumstances of families.

‘The children from poor and average families will find it difficult, and it will even affect them psychologically. You feel as if you are not loved, when even the parents are struggling to raise school fees,’ Mr Baguma said.

He warned that such comparisons could affect candidates’ concentration and examination performance, particularly when learners begin measuring affection by the value of presents.

Ms Irene Nansubuga, a teacher, said giving candidates gifts was not inherently wrong because parents naturally wanted to celebrate their children’s educational milestones and motivate them to perform well.

However, she said the practice becomes problematic when parents turn it into a competition to demonstrate who can afford the most expensive presents.

‘As a parent, we have made it extravagant to an extent that we forget about the value of education and then we go to this extent of showing who is better than the other,’ she said.

Ms Nansubuga warned that repeatedly exposing children to expensive possessions could give them an inflated sense of importance and make them look down on their peers.

‘It is not about the gift you give at the last moment. It is about the value of life you have been educating this child, and educating the values of education to the children, that can push this child to the highest level she may wish to go.’

Ms Oliver Taremwa, a parent of a Primary Seven candidate, said the trend was increasingly becoming a form of showing off, fueled by social pressure among parents and children.She said parents should distinguish between celebrating their children’s achievements and making expensive gifts an expected reward for academic success.

‘We appreciate that parents are supposed to appreciate their children, show them that they are happy. But when we go to how we start dealing with children, the whole thing is that there is a lot of social pressure,’ she said.

Ms Taremwa cautioned against making promises that tie children’s academic effort to material rewards, saying such arrangements could encourage an expectation that every achievement must be compensated with an expensive item.

She urged parents to discuss their children’s aspirations with them and prioritize gifts and investments that contribute to their long-term development rather than possessions meant to impress others.

‘Let us sit down with our children and show them that the future is brighter when you live within your limits,’ she said.

Ms Taremwa said she was particularly concerned about expensive gifts exchanged between school-going romantic partners, warning that parents needed to establish who was giving the gifts, where the money came from and whether the exchange carried expectations.

‘Do you know how that money is coming? Do you know the package it will come with? So let us not tie our children into these things,’ she said.

She added that schools could help by setting clear procedures for delivering success cards, noting that some institutions already require parents to submit cards through the school office and distribute them on designated days.

Candidates feel the pressure

For some learners, the growing emphasis on expensive gifts has created a sense of competition and exclusion.

Reagan Kimbugwe, a Senior Six candidate at Kisowera Secondary School, said conversations about gifts could leave students who received nothing feeling less valued than their classmates.

‘Sometimes it feels like a competition, especially when candidates start talking about what their parents, friends or boyfriends and girlfriends have bought for them,’ he said.

He said some parents promise their children smartphones or money if they pass their examinations, while others display the gifts they have received, making it difficult for learners from less privileged families to avoid comparisons.

‘Honestly, you can feel disappointed, especially when you see your friends receiving things you have always wanted. You may begin wondering why your parents cannot afford the same things,’ Kimbugwe said.

However, he acknowledged that families had different financial circumstances and urged candidates not to judge their parents by what they could afford.

He also warned that gifts could distract learners when they became more concerned about the rewards awaiting them than their preparation.On gifts exchanged between school-going romantic partners, Kimbugwe said some learners wanted to make their partners happy, while others feared being compared with rivals or appearing less committed if they could not afford expensive presents.

‘I think this can create unnecessary pressure because love should not be measured by the amount of money someone spends on you,’ he said.

He urged candidates to focus on their examinations and embrace inexpensive gestures such as handwritten messages, helping friends revise and offering words of encouragement.

Schools urged to protect concentrationMr Francis Buyondo, the headteacher of Sir Apollo Kaggwa Primary School in Nakasero, said the display of expensive gifts could distract candidates and undermine the principle of inclusion in schools.

He said learners were likely to notice what their classmates received, creating pressure both among those who received expensive gifts and those who did not.

‘School meant to be inclusive. So these candidates, those parents have to be able to reach that level,’ he said, referring to the difficulties families face when expensive gifts become the standard against which children compare themselves.

Mr Baguma adds that schools alone could not adequately address the problem without a common national standard.

‘Actually, the guidelines should come from the ministry. You see, when they are school-based, it will not solve the problem. Because it should be a standard guideline and then the schools should follow the standard guidelines,’ he said.

He also questioned how expensive gifts and sealed envelopes were allowed into schools when parents and other visitors were subject to restrictions.

‘If you are saying for me to visit my child I should come with a card at the school gate, why should you allow these other boyfriends and others to access my child during the period towards the exam?’ he asked.

‘The card should not be a secret, there should be a system to see if you are sending a success card, schools must know what is entering under the guise of success cards.’

Ministry yet to set standard rules

The debate comes amid the absence of specific Ministry of Education and Sports regulations governing the exchange of expensive success gifts among candidates.

In 2024, the State Minister for Higher Education, Mr John Chrysostom Muyingo, defended parents’ freedom to motivate their children during examinations, saying the period was an opportunity to encourage learners in different ways.

‘Some people organize parties, and others give their children money. I have no problem with it, just because some other person cannot afford it,’ Mr Muyingo said at the time.Education stakeholders say the challenge is to preserve the goodwill behind success cards while preventing the practice from becoming a source of financial pressure, social exclusion or inappropriate exchanges among learners.

They argue that encouragement can be expressed through prayers, handwritten messages, academic support and reassurance, without requiring parents to compete financially or learners to prove affection for their unhealthy relationships through expensive presents.

The central concern, they say, is ensuring that candidates enter the examination room confident in their preparation and supported by their families, regardless of their economic background or the gifts they receive.

By the time the audience had dispersed the Buliisa Meeting Room of the elegant Marriott Hotel, not many had fully weighed in the power of the signed partnership between Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) and the Confédération Africaine de Football (Caf) on Friday afternoon.

UTB and Caf announced an agreement to promote Uganda, through Explore Uganda brand, as a leading African tourism destination during next year’s TotalEnergies Pamoja Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

The deal, with sources on both ends of the negotiations valuing it at estimated $7.5 million (Shs31.83b), is the biggest marketing agreement in Ugandan history.

‘Ugandan tourism has turned a corner. This is not the tourism we knew in 1996. You start to see that we are starting to take center stage on the tourism global stage,’ UTB CEO Julian Kagwa remarked in front of a powerful delegation comprising Caf, Fufa and government officials.

‘On behalf of the Caf president Dr. Patrice Motsepe and our Caf Executive Committee, I would like to welcome UTB to the Caf family,’ stated Caf general secretary Samson Adamu.

With the international system turned to a multi-polar order, it has created economic changes, forced major geopolitical shifts, and arisen the influence of non-Western powers.

And at a time where the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted chains, the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war raging on, the U.S-Israel war with Iran, states of a stature like Uganda honestly find it difficult to compete globally.

President Yoweri Museveni launched the Explore Uganda brand in 2022 a strategic move to revamp the country’s tourism industry following ramifications of Covid-19.

And now, the uniqueness of deal with Caf is that Uganda closed in on a major international platform to showcase its diverse tourism attractions, cultural heritage and hospitality to millions of football supporters across Africa and around the world.

‘We are home to the mountain gorillas. It’s only in Uganda where silver meets gold. It’s only in Uganda where we have the big seven, other countries have the big five so we are unique,’ tourism state minister Susan Nakawuki Nsambu noted.

‘It’s only in Uganda where we find the source of the River Nile. Uganda is in its own make. As a ministry, we realize that destination marketing must always evolve (with) targeted international marketing to make sure that Uganda remains competitive,’ she added.

Put simply, the marketing deal has the potential to reach nearly four out of ten people as East Africa hosts the continent’s biggest sports showpiece.

‘The Afcon 2027 will give East Africa a unique opportunity to market itself to the over three billion people globally who will be watching the Afcon. Caf is working closely with Uganda together with Kenya and Tanzania to build strong ties with the business community ahead of Pamoja 2027,’ said Adamu.

‘That’s how tourism is going to make a contribution to the 10-fold growth strategy,’ Parliament’s deputy Speaker Hon. Thomas Tayebwa stated.

He argued that Uganda has 29 mountain gorilla families, of which each can be visited by eight people a day. ‘You have a premium product which must be marketed to premium markets. If we don’t invest in marketing our country, the tourists will not come,’ Tayebwa noted.

Immediately after Adamu’s speech, the Explore Uganda sponsorship’s promotion video, filmed by Uganda Media Centre (UMC), was unveiled in the room and on social media. By Sunday morning, the 69-second clip had reached more 189,000 views on UMC’s page on X, formerly Twitter.

Respectfully, the Afcon brand under Motsepe’s reign has turned a big corner in terms of value, especially at the Ivory Coast 2023 and Morocco 2025 editions.

From preliminary research numbers released by independent research agencies, Afcon witnessed a 61 percent growth in viewership at the tournament played between December 2025 and January 2026 in Morocco.

For the same tournament, Caf noted record figures of about 3.6 billion viewers in tournament broadcast and an additional six billion in digital engagements.

‘This is our moment in history. We must welcome the rest of the world, whether it is virtually or physically,’ Kagwa said. ‘We need to get ready. This is the biggest Kwanjula that Uganda will ever have. I want to put it in a local context, because that’s when people lose their minds in our homes.

When the homestead gets ready to welcome the man, they’re taking their daughter. That is the way we need to be behaving,’ she added.

Uganda had 1,642,215 international visitors and tourism receipts reached a record $1.62b (Shs5.829t) in 2025, according the ministry of tourism, wildlife and antiquities data.

For each Pamoja Afcon tournament brand placement across Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, Explore Uganda will be a part; at all stadiums, key hotels and airports, on match tickets, visual adverts across broadcast and digital platforms among spaces.

EXPLORE UGANDA

Destination brand: Explore Uganda, The Pearl of Africa

Launched: 2022

Managed By:Uganda Tourism Board

2025 Statistics: 1,642,215 international visitors

2025 Tourism Receipts: $1.62 billion (Shs5.829 trillion)

Brand Promise: Adventure of a Lifetime – Uganda’s rare, precious, natural and cultural legacy

Core Attractions: Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, White-water Rafting on River Nile, Wildlife Safaris across national parks, Mountain Climbing in the Rwenzoris, Diverse Cultural Experiences across more than 56 ethnic groups.

PAMOJA AFCON 2027

Organizers: Confédération Africaine de Football (Caf)

Edition: 36th

Host countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda

Dates: June 19 – July 17, 2027

Teams: 24

Venues: 10 (in 7 host cities)

Title Sponsor: TotalEnergies

Tourism Competition Sponsor: Explore Uganda