Category: Daily Monitor

Four men accused of murdering national rugby player Sydney Gongodyo Gyabi have been further remanded to Luzira Prison as investigations into the case continue.

The suspects appeared before the City Hall Court on Monday for the mention of their case, but Grade One Magistrate Edgar Karakire was informed by the prosecution that inquiries into the matter had not yet been concluded.

Prosecution led by Ms Grace Akite told court that police investigations are still ongoing and efforts to apprehend other suspects linked to the killing are continuing.

“We have other suspects still on the run and police are searching for them. We pray for an adjournment to enable police to wind up their investigations and also arrest other suspects,” Ms Akite told court.

The magistrate consequently remanded the accused until July 23, 2026, when the case will return to court for mention.

The accused are Obed Mugwisa, 39, a boda boda rider; Elly Mondoni, 33, a delivery agent with Medicinal Pharmacy; Joseph Owino, 30, a private security guard; and Henry Kabugo, 21, a boda boda rider.

The four were earlier charged with murder before the same court, and were not allowed to enter pleas because the offence is capital in nature and can only be tried by the High Court.

“This court does not have jurisdiction to try your case because it is capital in nature. I will send you to prison until investigations are complete and you are committed to the High Court for trial,” Mr Karakire said during the earlier proceedings.

According to the charge sheet, Mugwisa, Mondoni, Owino, Kabugo and others still at large allegedly murdered Gongodyo on June 5, 2026, at Upper Naguru East Road in Kampala District.

Gongodyo, 27, was a forward for the national 15s rugby team, the Rugby Cranes, and a key player for Stanbic Black Pirates Rugby Club.

Investigators say he was attacked by a mob in the Kampala suburb of Bukoto after being falsely accused of snatching a woman’s handbag.

Although police intervened and rushed him to Mulago National Referral Hospital, he later succumbed to injuries.

The death sent shockwaves through Uganda’s sporting community, prompting the postponement of Uganda Rugby Premiership semi-final matches.

Uganda Rugby Union President Godwin Kayangwe described the player’s death as a monumental loss to the sport.

Police have maintained that efforts to identify, trace and arrest other individuals believed to have participated in the fatal attack are ongoing.

Gongodyo’s death has since reignited concerns about mob justice in Uganda, with authorities warning that innocent people are often targeted by violent crowds acting on unverified accusations.

An armed robber was on Tuesday morning shot dead as police foiled a robbery at Ssemwogerere Zone, Nakawa Division in Kampala City.

The midnight incident involved officers who were conducting a patrol in the area when three armed men attacked a businessman and his wife who were walking along Mukasa Road and ordered them to lie down.

Police say the robbers successfully robbed the man of his mobile phone and wallet at gunpoint, before turning to the woman when police officers on motorcycle patrol coincidentally arrived at the scene.

Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Rachel Kawala said the timely intervention disrupted the robbery and forced the suspects to flee.

‘Our patrol officers who were conducting routine motorcycle patrols in the area arrived at the scene just as the robbery was ongoing. Upon noticing the police, the suspects attempted to flee,’ said SP Kawala.

During the pursuit, the suspects abandoned a bag containing suspected stolen items and a firearm.

One unidentified male suspect, estimated to be about 25 years old, was fatally injured during the operation.

Police recovered several exhibits from the scene, including a SAR rifle, a bayonet, four smartphones suspected to be stolen, two black shaving machines, three black jackets, one empty cartridge, a screwdriver, a pair of red canvas shoes, and a black laptop bag.

The body of the deceased suspect was taken to Mulago City Mortuary for post-mortem examination.

Vanilla’s allure goes far beyond its flavour and fragrance. Its lucrative value has made it a magnet for thieves.

The crop’s lucrative nature attracts both opportunistic thieves and organised criminal groups, making security a constant concern for farmers. Many vanilla growers say theft is their greatest fear, often forcing them to spend sleepless nights guarding their fields.

Unlike most crops, vanilla requires intensive security, with some farmers hiring armed guards to protect their gardens during the harvesting season.

High stakes

According to players in the vanilla sector, these security measures significantly increase production costs, reducing farmers’ profits despite the crop’s high value.

‘We can never stop worrying about thieves. It’s one issue that sends chills down my spine almost all the time. Our gardens are now guarded like barracks.

‘Otherwise, you lose your harvests and potentially your life,’ a vanilla farmer told BD Life at a two-day conference in Kampala last week.

Mr Joseph Lukandwa, a senior member of the Association of Vanilla Exporters of Uganda, backed up these claims.

He noted that vanilla theft became a major issue between 2010 and 2016. During that time, he said the price of the crop hit an average of Shs350,000 per kilogramme. This was about 25 times more than a kilo of Arabica coffee.

‘This caused a lot of insecurity. There were many thefts of vanilla beans. In some cases, people were hurt and some lost their lives,’ Mr Lukandwa said.

‘Vanilla farmers were compelled to hire security guards. Some were armed to keep thieves away.’

The situation also hurt the quality of the product as farmers were harvesting premature beans before thieves could raid the gardens, affecting the quality, which caused challenges on the global market.

Given concerns relating to theft, the project ‘Vani-Coops was born. As part of the project activities, a two-day multi-stakeholder conference was held in Kampala, to, among other things, address the theft of vanilla crops.

According to the country representative at ISP Uganda, Ms Stefania Ceruso, theft is a major concern within the vanilla value chain.

As the two-day deliberations ended, it became clear that a better understanding of the harvesting window, coupled with improved harvesting practices, is key to addressing the problem of vanilla theft.

‘Declaring the harvesting window is one of the tools to reduce the possibility of theft and the sale of low-quality vanilla, Ms Ceruso said.

‘While we are concerned and involved in ending this, the regulation and enforcement of these measures remain the responsibility of the relevant authorities,’ says the ISP representative in Uganda.

Price volatility

While vanilla theft is less common than it once was, farmers remain on high alert.

Although prices have fallen sharply in recent years, vanilla still commands about Shs20,000 per kilogramme-around twice the price of coffee. That premium still makes the crop valuable enough for farmers to guard closely.

In an interview, Dr Robert Okello Ongom said vanilla theft must be nipped in the bud because it ruins crop quality.

Dr Ongom, a horticulturist and team leader at Makerere University’s Department of Crop Science and Horticulture, revealed that the university is working with the government to create an official vanilla harvesting calendar to fight theft.

He explained that the Ministry of Agriculture uses a scientific model developed by the university to determine the official harvesting dates for vanilla. This helps ensure that beans are harvested at the right stage of maturity, maintaining high quality and protecting farmers’ earnings.

He added that following the designated harvesting period is crucial for maintaining the reputation of Ugandan vanilla in export markets.

Harvesting beans too early or too late reduces their quality, which can lower their value and weaken buyer confidence in Uganda’s vanilla.

Uganda has two harvesting seasons, each lasting about three months.

‘If the harvest window is declared, growers only need to guard their fields for a total of six months instead of all 12 months of the year,’ Dr Ongom said. ‘This makes protecting the vanilla much cheaper for farmers.’

Beyond theft

Uganda is the second-largest exporter of vanilla in Africa and globally renowned for premium vanilla beans.

The country accounts for a substantial share of global exports, with major destination markets including the United States, Tanzania, Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands.

Ugandan vanilla is celebrated for its premium quality and distinct flavour. Farmers remain heavily impacted by volatile international vanilla market prices, which have seen significant fluctuations in recent years.

Already, the sector cultivated primarily in the Central, Eastern and Western regions of the country is fending off challenges ranging from fluctuating global prices and premature harvesting and post-harvest handling challenges.

This is despite the sector providing a critical source of livelihood for nearly 70,000 smallholder farmers across nearly 40 districts in the country.

Some of the districts where vanilla is largely grown include Bundibugyo, Kasese, Ntoroko, Bunyangabu, Rubirizi, and Ibanda. This is in addition to Kayunga, Mukono, Mpigi, Jinja, Kamuli, and Luwero.

Speaking in an interview last week, Mr Kizito Odongo, the acting principal agricultural officer in charge of horticulture at the Agriculture Ministry, noted that vanilla remains a high-value, non-traditional cash crop prioritised by the government to boost household incomes.

To safeguard farmers against rampant theft and poor quality, Odongo stated that the Ministry is assisting local governments in developing ordinances and bylaws.

‘Several challenges have been noticed over the years, right from 2019, with theft being one of them,’ he explained.

‘This is in addition to price volatility and quality issues, all of which the government is addressing.’

To enforce quality control and promote self-regulation at the local level, the Ministry introduced the National Vanilla Harvest Window in 2019.

‘Over the last six years, we have seen remarkable progress in the quality of vanilla,’ Odongo added.

Meanwhile, the government is also promoting agroforestry to maximise land productivity. By mimicking natural ecosystems, this sustainable practice provides economic, social, and environmental benefits. ‘

‘You can have other crops like bananas growing together with vanilla, including other fruit trees, to increase your income,’ Mr Odongo said.

Connecting markets

Uganda can easily become the leading producer of vanilla in the world. But, there is a need for some effort to spur its growth across global markets.

The government is already promoting vanilla as a high-value crop. Given its demand, Vani Coops project, an Italian-funded initiative, aims at supporting vanilla growers in the districts of Mukono, Luwero and Jinja.

‘We decided to start this project to ensure a more equal distribution of value along the vanilla value chain, starting from where the value actually begins, with the growers.

‘We are cooperating with all stakeholders to support the growth of the sector and, especially, to increase knowledge and opportunities for vanilla growers in Uganda.

‘The project addresses different segments of the vanilla value chain. We start with the growers. The idea is to connect Ugandan vanilla with the Europeans, and particularly the Italian market. This can be through different actions, especially by strengthening the capacity of growers to connect directly with buyers,’ Ms Ceruso, said, noting that the project, which started in November 2025, will last three years.

Ms Ceruso said the project is supported by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation under the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with a project budget of around pound 1.2 million.

‘We are targeting about 20,000 farmers across the three districts of Jinja, Iganga and Mukono,’ Ms Ceruso said.

As for the Italian Ambassador to Uganda, Mauro Massoni, Italian involvement in Uganda goes beyond just a focus on health to also areas that provide economic and income-generating benefits.

Since my arrival in Uganda two and a half years ago, I have felt that while health remains very important, we should also expand our focus to other sectors, particularly agriculture.

For instance, Amb Massoni noted that this project is focused on improving both quality and production, while increasing the opportunities for farmers to earn more money. One way of doing that is by opening up new markets

‘This project can create added value in the vanilla sector and generate new export opportunities for this product in my country Italy.’

President Museveni has deferred a final decision on silver fish, mukene, fishing methods on Lake Victoria, saying the government will first consult experts and indigenous fishermen.

The President made the remarks on Monday while campaigning for the ruling party candidate Aidah Nabayiga during the final campaign rally at Kibanga Primary School in Kalangala District.

The controversy stems from new fisheries guidelines that prohibit fishermen from using the “hurry-up” method and the use of lamps while hunting for silver fish. Fishermen argue that the restrictions enforced early this year have left them with few alternatives and threaten their livelihoods.

During the rally, Mr Museveni sought clarification from government officials on the matter. He first consulted Gen Katumba Wamala, the Minister of Public Services who hails from Kalangala, before hearing from the new State Minister for Fisheries Robert Migadde, also a fisherman from neighbouring Buvuma District.

Mr Migadde told the President that the use of lamps helps fishermen target silver fish while reducing the chances of catching immature fish species.

He said the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries is currently finalising regulations under the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, which are expected to address the concerns raised by silver fish fishermen.

“As the minister responsible for fisheries, I will use the responsibility entrusted to me to ensure that we bring regulations under the Fisheries and Aquaculture law that will help solve the challenges and allow fishermen to continue harvesting silver fish on Lake Victoria,” Mr Migadde said.

He added that the Ministry and technical officials have given themselves two months to complete the regulations.

The President appealed to residents of Kalangala to exercise patience as the government studies the matter.

“I learnt that fish in the lake live and feed at different levels. Since I have been able to gather experts and also listen to the indigenous fishermen, we shall be able to solve this issue,” Mr Museveni said.

The issue of water transport was also raised during the rally, with Kalangala District chairperson Agnes Lunkuse expressing concern over the unreliable schedule of MV Kalangala, the only public vessel plying the Entebbe-Kalangala route, and uncertainty surrounding government support to ferries serving the islands.

In response, the President pledged to engage district leaders to find a lasting solution, including discussions on government agreements supporting the two ferries operating on the Bugoma-Bukakata route.

“I am going to talk to the leaders to see whether the current routes are enough. If necessary, we can increase the number of trips,” Mr Museveni said.

He also announced government plans to introduce two additional ferry routes to improve connectivity in the island district.

According to the President, one ferry will operate from Kasenyi Landing Site to Mweena, making stopovers at Jaana in Bubeke Sub-county, Lwanabatya in Kyamuswa Sub-county and Lulindi in Bufumira Sub-county.

The second ferry is expected to operate between Nakiwogo in Entebbe and Lutoboka in Kyamuswa Sub-county, with a stopover at Kachanga on Buvu Island.

Mr Museveni said MV Kalangala would eventually be reassigned to provide inter-island transport services, particularly for cargo transportation between islands.

“Then we shall change MV Kalangala to operate between islands so that people can transport their cargo from one island to another,” he said.

The President also pledged to construct a district hospital in Kalangala and urged residents to invest in agriculture so they can benefit from the growing tourism industry in the district.

“After we have constructed roads, supplied clean and safe water and stabilised electricity, these investments will facilitate tourism. I request the people of Kalangala to prepare themselves to tap into the money that comes with the growth of tourism,” he said.

He encouraged island residents to engage in poultry farming and dairy production to meet the expected demand from tourists.

“Tourists will need eggs. You have to add poultry projects and practise zero grazing for milk production needed by these tourists so that you can earn income,” Mr Museveni added.

Background

The by-election is scheduled for Tuesday June 24 following the death of former district Woman MP Hellen Nakimuli in April. Five candidates are vying for the seat. They include National Resistance Movement flag bearer Aidah Nabayiga, National Unity Platform candidate Irene Nampala, and independents Hellen Flavia Nagawa, Babirye Sharifa Kaala and Susan Nasuuna.

Candidates were allocated a 10-day campaign period which ran from June 12 to June 22 to canvas for votes.

The district has 42,452 registered voters expected to cast ballots from 155 polling stations spread across 64 habitable islands.

Prior to her death Nakimuli had won the January 15 General Election the seat for a second term with 10,609 votes against NRM candidate Aidah Nabayiga’s 9,245 votes out of the 19,854 valid votes cast.

The ruling party won both Bujumba and Kyamuswa County parliamentary seats, captured the LC5 chairperson position and increased its representation on the district council from 13 councillors in 2021 to 18 out of 24 seats, strengthening its influence ahead of the forthcoming by-election.

On a heavy, rainy afternoon, water drums relentlessly against the iron sheets sheltering the head offices of the Foundation for Inclusive Community Help (FICH). The office, nestled in Akongatar ‘C’ Village, Angweta Parish, within Iceme Sub-county, Oyam District, serves as a sanctuary from the downpour.

On the veranda, a group of 13 teenage girls sit closely on wooden stools and white plastic chairs, huddled together to dodge the cold wind and the stubborn spray of rainwater. Their knees touch in the cramped space, but their hands move with remarkable speed and precision.

‘Braid tighter at the root,’ one trainee instructs her peer, adjusting a strand of synthetic hair.

‘Bring me some black hair,’ another whispers softly to a friend nearby, reaching out for an fresh bundle of hair extensions. The humid air beneath the veranda smells intensely of fresh rain, chemical hair products, and raw ambition.

Since February 2026, a total of 20 young girls have been making the daily trek to this compound. Here, they spend hours mastering the intricate arts of plaiting, cornrowing, twisting, and styling hair.

The training is run by FICH, a grassroots non-governmental organisation dedicated to strengthening foundational learning, inclusive education, and improving community livelihoods across Uganda. For the management of FICH and the girls they support, hairdressing is not merely a lesson in aesthetics or beauty. It is a pathway to survival. It is business.

The majority of the trainees at the centre are school dropouts. Some walked away from formal education after completing Primary Seven, unable to cope when their parents failed to pay the hidden, extra costs of secondary schooling. Others were forced by circumstances or family pressure into early marriages-only to return to their communities after those fragile unions collapsed.

At FICH, these girls are given a rare opportunity to start over. The comprehensive curriculum covers everything from threading complex hair extensions and sanitising styling tools to the softer skills of customer care and client communication.

The instructors do not stop at technical training. They teach the girls how to accurately price a style, how to save a portion of their daily earnings, and how to independently manage a small enterprise. Out on the veranda, as the rain pours and the wooden stools tremble slightly on the wet concrete, abstract business theory transforms into real-world practice.

‘This skill will feed me,’ a 17-year-old trainee says confidently, her eyes fixed firmly on the scalp in front of her. ‘I will not depend on any man.’

However, a closer look at the vibrant training ground reveals a stark, quiet reality. From the eager trainees to the expert instructors, there is no boy child in sight. Not one.

The wooden stools are occupied entirely by girls. The white plastic chairs are filled by girls. The bundles of black extensions are handled exclusively by girls. The economic future being carefully braided under this roof is undeniably female.

This visible gender disparity is beginning to prompt uncomfortable, hard questions within Oyam District and across the wider sub-region. As NGOs and development partners scale up vocational programmes for girls-rightly responding to the devastating local crises of early pregnancy, school dropout rates, and gender-based violence-a critical question remains: who is training the boy child?

Ms Gloria Aceng, a seasoned business development service provider, warns that the systematic exclusion of boys from the national development agenda has mutated into a severe socio-economic problem.

‘I see that as a crisis in the future, especially at the family level,’ Ms Aceng observes. ‘Men, by nature, are expected to lead the family. They are supposed to provide direction, guidance, and even financial support. But if they are not empowered, then they are fundamentally unable to perform those traditional roles.’

According to Ms Aceng, this imbalance places an unsustainable amount of pressure on young women, who are increasingly forced to bridge the systemic gaps left by unequipped men.

‘These days, we are seeing a society of very masculine women, simply because they are forced by survival to perform tasks that should be shared or carried out by men,’ she notes. ‘Yes, I believe that is actually the biggest reason why the rate of family collapse is increasing day by day in our communities.’

The critique is echoed by Ms Christine Apio, a Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Accountability (MELA) specialist. She argues that contemporary development strategies have inadvertently manufactured a massive societal imbalance by prioritising the empowerment of girls while leaving boys to fend for themselves in an economic vacuum.

This selective focus, Ms Apio argues, has contributed heavily to a generation of weak men who struggle with basic decision-making and household leadership. Left without structured support, guidance, or legal livelihoods, boys as young as 13 are increasingly slipping into a life of petty crime, substance abuse, and vagrancy. When interviewed by social workers, many of these young boys cite parental abandonment or the lack of guidance as the primary reasons for their plight.

‘No one wants to talk openly about it, but there is a much bigger problem here than meets the eye,’ Ms Apio contends.

‘Our singular concentration on the girl child has inadvertently built a generation of weak men and poor decision-makers. They are even failing now to provide basic leadership at the household level.’

While vulnerable girls who drop out of school are frequently funneled into funded vocational institutes or NGO-led workshops, boys in the exact same harsh socio-economic environments are left entirely to their own devices.

‘Right now, sports betting has taken all their time. Our boy child is getting wasted within the community,’ Ms Apio points out. ‘Our adult males are now hiding under social media. That is where they try to prove their strength and voice. But on the ground, they are weak husbands, they are weak fathers, and they are financially handicapped because they simply do not possess market-ready skills.’

She adds: ‘They are not empowered to be able to generate sustainable income to support themselves and their households. It is high time that development partners refocused their lenses on the boy child. The girl child has been significantly empowered.’

The consequences of this gender imbalance are showing up vividly in the local justice system. Local leaders, child rights activists, and community elders are warning that while empowering women is vital for rural development, it must be balanced with the empowerment of men to maintain a healthy social fabric.

Ms Sandra Akello, the Oyam District Probation and Social Welfare Officer, deals with the fallout of this neglect on a daily basis.

‘The undeniable fact is that the boy children are left out,’ Ms Akello says. ‘Most NGOs, when they come on board, focus almost exclusively on girl child education and skilling, completely forgetting that the boys are equally vulnerable.’

Ms Akello notes that many of these boys are orphans or products of broken families. Lacking attention, mentorship, or options, they drop out of school and quickly adopt antisocial behaviours.

‘When boy children have nothing productive to do, or when they are completely unguided, they inevitably start getting into conflict with the law,’ she explains. ‘As a probation officer, I spend a lot of my time working in the courts. The juveniles brought before us are mainly boys, facing severe charges of defilement, robbery, burglary, theft, and even murder. You find that they are the ones committing these heavy crimes, while the girls are largely absent from the dock.’

Ms Akello believes this pattern points to a systemic failure. ‘There is a big question mark here. Are these boys being attended to at all? Defilement happens to girls often because the boys themselves are not guided on relationships and boundaries. It is up to us as leaders, community members, and development stakeholders to take the initiative and ensure that boys are brought back on board.’

The growing concern has not gone unnoticed by the organisations driving these local initiatives. Speaking during a stakeholder engagement and planning convention held at the organization’s offices on Monday, June 22, 2026, Mr Patrick Ocen, the Director of Programmes at FICH, acknowledged the validity of the community’s concerns.

‘The concern that the boy child is being left behind is entirely genuine,’ Mr Ocen stated to stakeholders. He promised that FICH would formally table the issue before its strategic planning team to ensure future community frameworks cater to all vulnerable children equitably, regardless of gender.

Community leaders maintain that a truly resilient and prosperous Ugandan society requires both empowered women and capable, skilled men. Without intentionally addressing the ongoing neglect of the boy child, the very foundations of community leadership, economic stability, and the family unit in rural Uganda will continue to erode from within.

The government has declared an immediate end to the blanket amnesty previously extended to wetland encroachers, signaling an aggressive shift toward environmental enforcement.

The Minister of Water and Environment, Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, delivered the ultimatum at the weekend, warning that the state will no longer tolerate the unchecked destruction of Uganda’s fragile ecosystems. Crucially, the minister revealed that the crackdown will not only target illegal occupants but will also pursue the public officials who facilitate environmental destruction.

“Nature licenses hippos, fish, frogs, crocodile. And that’s what it is….If you are not a fish, a frog, a hippo, and a crocodile, what are you doing in the wetland? Even if it is your mistress, get out by all means. Why do you complain? You think God was stupid to put you on dry land and put the reptiles in the in the water? Why are you invading the wetlands?…There should be no mercy for those who are degrading the wetlands,’ a defiant Gen. Otafiire declared. ‘I am going after those who are damaging the environment and those who allow them to damage the environment. Amnesty ends today.’

Gen. Otafiire issued the directive during the third National Environment Sustainability Awards (NESA) 2026 held in Kampala. The event, themed ‘Innovation for Climate Resilience,’ brought together senior government officials, private sector leaders, environmentalists, and innovators.

The minister argued that wetland degradation has far-reaching consequences for water security, public health, and the wellbeing of future generations. Drawing attention to the growing environmental pressures facing the capital city, Otafiire noted that wetlands play a critical role in filtering pollutants before they reach major water bodies.

Their destruction, he warned, means toxic substances are increasingly finding their way into rivers and lakes, eventually poisoning communities through the food chain. By framing environmental degradation as a direct threat to human life, Otafiire justified the suspension of leniency, signaling that the era of polite warnings is officially over.

The minister’s tough stance was backed by economic data from Bank of Uganda Governor, Michael Atingi-Ego. Delivering the keynote address, the central bank chief argued that climate change must no longer be viewed solely as an ecological problem, but as a severe threat to macroeconomic and financial stability.

‘When farmers lose harvests, when roads become impassable, when businesses face rising operating costs, and when communities are displaced, the consequences extend far beyond the immediate damage,’ Dr. Atingi-Ego warned.

The governor explained that climate-related shocks ultimately batter corporate balance sheets, compromise commercial bank loan portfolios, spike insurance claims, and strain public finances. To mitigate these risks, Atingi-Ego called for aggressive investment in climate-smart agriculture, artificial intelligence, and digital finance.

‘The future is going to belong to nations that can transform climate risks into opportunities, innovation into resilience, and ambition into measurable results,’ the governor added.

Echoing the minister’s urgency, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) Executive Director, Dr. Barirega Akankwasa, described environmental protection as both a survival imperative and an economic necessity.

‘Environmental degradation is an existential threat to humanity and we must treat it as such,’ Dr. Akankwasa said.

He reminded the audience that Uganda’s forests regulate rainfall, its wetlands store and purify water, its rivers generate hydro-energy, and its biodiversity supports tourism and agriculture.

Despite the grim warnings, the NEMA chief highlighted notable strides in conservation. According to recent data, Uganda’s forest cover has rebounded from approximately 9 percent in 2015 to 13 per cent today. Wetland coverage has also registered marginal improvements, though significant portions remain heavily encroached upon.

Dr. Akankwasa noted that NEMA has scaled up environmental governance through strict compliance monitoring, forced restoration initiatives, and the digitization of services to curb corruption.

While Gen. Otafiire emphasized the big stick of law enforcement, the NESA awards celebrated the carrot of innovation. Dr. Akankwasa lauded young entrepreneurs converting waste into valuable products, financial institutions creating green financing instruments, and communities restoring degraded ecosystems.

The NESA awards were established to recognize individuals and institutions providing practical solutions to environmental challenges while supporting socio-economic transformation. Several organizations, including media houses recognized for consistent environmental reporting, were honored at the event.

However, the overriding message of the day belonged to Gen. Otafiire. For those still illegally occupying wetlands, or the bureaucrats signing off on titles in protected ecosystems, the minister’s message left no room for ambiguity: the grace period is officially over.

Concerns over access to justice for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and the controversial circumstances under which male police officers search female suspects dominated discussions during the first-ever Court Open Day at the Law Development Centre (LDC) Court in Kampala on Tuesday.

The landmark event brought together judicial officers, police commanders, legal practitioners, and court users to dissect systemic challenges within the justice system.

The debate sparked intense interest when Ms. Joan Kalungi, a participant, questioned the boundaries of police body searches.

“Are male police officers allowed to check women all through their bodies?” Ms. Kalungi asked, drawing loud applause from female attendees.

Responding to the concern, the Wandegeya Division Police Commander, Superintendent of Police (SP) David Ndawula, clarified that while standard police procedures strictly mandate female officers to conduct body searches on women, emergencies alter the rules.

“Ordinarily, it is a female police officer who is supposed to search or arrest a female suspect. However, if a female suspect is armed, a male police officer can intervene,” SP Ndawula explained. “I will not stand there and just raise an alarm simply because I am a male police officer.”

The forum also put a spotlight on the marginalization of PWDs in legal corridors. Mr. Isaa Kiyinzi, the chairperson of PWDs in Makerere-Kivulu, shared a frustrating ordeal where two deaf litigants failed to get justice at the Buganda Road Court due to the lack of a sign language interpreter.

“Our case hit a wall after failing to get a sign language interpreter,” Mr. Kiyinzi narrated. “So as PWDs, how are you going to help us access justice?”

The Chief Guest, Judiciary Chief Registrar Agnes Alum, reassured the public that the Judiciary possesses internal mechanisms to accommodate PWDs, urging litigants to notify court administration ahead of time.

“As the Judiciary, we have services for persons with disabilities and whenever there is a need to use them, notify us and they will be made available,” Ms. Alum said.

Beyond individual rights, Ms. Alum used the platform to highlight major structural reforms aimed at aggressive case backlog reduction.

She revealed that recent amendments to the Magistrates Courts Act have vastly increased the financial limits (pecuniary jurisdiction) of lower courts. This shift allows magistrates to handle high-value civil disputes that previously choked the High Court system.

“The effect of this is that several cases now in the High Court shall be moved for disposal to the magistrates’ courts, which are more geographically accessible and have more judicial officers,” Alum explained.

The Chief Magistrate of the LDC Court, Mr. Timothy Lumunye, championed his station as both a high-performing legal institution and a vital practical training ground for Bar Course students from the adjacent Law Development Centre.

“The magistrates and state attorneys at the LDC Court serve as points of reference for Bar Course students during training,” Mr. Lumunye said, adding that the court is exceptionally efficient, with only 58 cases currently classified as backlog.

Centurion and Pak Shaheens sealed promotion to the Silver Division of the CU Men’s 50 Overs League after a gripping round of Bronze Division semi-finals that mixed resilience, firepower and heartbreak in equal measure on June 21.

Centurion survived a tense early collapse before debutant Davis Karashani announced himself in style with a match-defining century, while Pak Shaheens produced a ruthless all-round display to crush Tornado CC and book their silver berth.

Centurion captain Allan Ssemakula admitted his side’s qualification journey was built on more than just match-day brilliance.

‘Qualification was built on consistency, discipline, and teamwork throughout the season,’ Ssemakula said.

‘Every player understood their role and bought into the team’s vision. We stayed united even in difficult moments.’

He added that the achievement was only the beginning of a longer project.

‘Our ambition is to continue growing, compete strongly at the next level and build a winning culture that lasts,’ he said.

The surge

At Lugogo Cricket Oval, Centurion were pushed to the edge after slipping to 24 for 3 in pursuit of 199 against Kifaru CC.

But what followed was a turnaround built on belief and composure, led by two former Cricket Cranes skippers; Karashani and Brian Mark Masaba, who stitched together a 174-run partnership that flipped the contest. Karashani struck a brilliant 103 off 84 balls on debut, while Masaba anchored the chase with an unbeaten 62.

Ssemakula later praised the calmness inside the dressing room when pressure peaked.

‘Naturally there was tension because the stakes were high, but nobody panicked,’ he said.

‘We trusted the players at the crease. Cricket is about partnerships and momentum can change quickly.’

For Karashani, the moment was not only a delight but also a statement of arrival.

His innings blended timing, patience and authority as Centurion recovered from a shaky start to seal promotion with 35 balls to spare. Masaba, often the quiet operator, ensured there were no late scares as he carried the chase home.

Shaheens power

At Florida Oval, alias The Akbar Baig Cricket Ground, Pak Shaheens delivered one of the most dominant performances of the round, hammering Tornado CC by 98 runs to confirm promotion.

Batting first, Shaheens posted 187 all out, with Sunil Kumar top-scoring on 56, while Yasir Malik added 40 and Abdul Basit Habib contributed 38.

Captain Muhammad Sarwar Raheel, who was mentored by Pakistan legend Saeed Ajmal, said the win carried emotional weight beyond cricket.

‘This Father’s Day was unforgettable,’ Raheel said. ‘I wore a ‘DAD’ cap during the match to carry my son, who was celebrating his first birthday, with me onto the field.’

He dedicated the victory to his family. ‘Leading Shaheens to victory in such a pressure game made it even more meaningful. I dedicate this win to my son Zayan Raheel,’ he said.

Tornado wilt

Traditional giants Tornado never recovered from early blows as they were bundled out for 89 in reply, with Pak Shaheens’ bowlers tightening the grip through disciplined spells.

Cricket Cranes paceman Bilal Hassun and skipper Raheel led the charge as wickets fell at regular intervals. Elsewhere in Gold Division, Rounders CC’s survival hopes collapsed under pressure as they fell to Kutchi Tigers CC by 61 runs at Entebbe.

Their chase of 153 never recovered after an early collapse left them 26 for 4, eventually folding for 91 and confirming relegation.

Tough reward

Centurion and Pak Shaheens will now meet in the Bronze final this Sunday (June 28) at Lugogo after sealing promotion to Division Two in contrasting but commanding fashion.

Centurion did it the hard way – with recovery, patience and a debut century – while Shaheens stormed through with ruthless dominance.

Either way, both teams will leave the Bronze Division not only as mere winners but as teams ready for a bigger stage.

CU MEN’S 50-OVER LEAGUE

Results – Gold Division

Ceylon Lions 209/10 | Aboojo 186/9

Ceylon Lions won by 23 runs

Kutchi Tigers 152/10 | Rounders 91/10

Kutchi Tigers won by 61 runs

JACC 183/9 | Mukono Warriors 119/10

JACC won by 64 runs

Bronze Division – Semi-finals

Kifaru CC 198/10 | Centurion CC 202/4

Centurion CC won by 6 wickets

Pak Shaheens CC 187/10 | Tornado CC 89/10

Pak Shaheens CC won by 98 runs

Anxiety and frustration gripped hundreds of supporters of former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago yesterday after the Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court made a U-turn and didn’t deliver its much-awaited ruling on his bail application, extending his stay in Luzira Prison as concerns over his deteriorating health continued to mount. The court premises was guarded by heavily armed security personnel.

Supporters dressed in People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) colours filled the courtroom, while dozens more crowded windows and corridors in the court grounds. Mr Lukwago, 56, who is facing a charge of misprision of treason, was brought to court at around 10:25am while his hands were handcuffed. His appearance was greeted with excitement from mammoth supporters, many of whom have followed every stage of the case since his arrest.

The immediate past former Lord Mayor, who had spent exactly a week in detention following his arrest, had hoped to know his fate at 2pm when Chief Magistrate Sarah Basemera was due to rule on his bail application. However, shortly before the appointed time, lawyers from both sides were summoned into the magistrate’s chambers instead of open court, triggering speculation and concern among the anxiously waiting crowds. Moments later, lead defence lawyer Medard Lubega Ssegona emerged from the magistrate’s chambers downcast before delivering disappointing news. ‘Her Worship, the Chief Magistrate, has advised that her ruling is not ready,’ Mr Ssegona told supporters, family members and journalists gathered outside the courtroom. He explained that the magistrate had opted against returning to the packed courtroom to announce the delay due to the highly charged atmosphere surrounding the case.

‘Owing to the sensitivity of the case and all the environment as you see it, she was informed that it was not advisable to come back and convey the news that the ruling is not ready. She did not want to gather the crowds that we have, especially when the ruling is not ready,’ Mr Ssegona said. According to the defence lawyer, the magistrate committed herself to delivering the ruling electronically through the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS) within 24 hours. ‘She undertook to deliver the ruling by ECCMIS within 24 hours from the time we met her in chambers. She invited us to understand the situation and requested us to go back and glue ourselves to the computers as we wait for the ruling,’ he added. The main criminal case remains scheduled for mention on June 30.

But beyond the delayed ruling, it was Lukwago’s health that dominated discussions outside court, with some of his supporters sobbing since he was heading back to prison. Earlier during the proceedings, Mr Ssegona informed the court that his client’s condition was worsening despite receiving treatment while on remand. ‘The defence maintains that Lukwago is suffering from a spinal condition involving a dislocated disc that requires specialised MRI-guided examination and treatment, which cannot adequately be provided within the prison health system,’ he said He added: ‘Unfortunately, the seemingly dislocated disc has accelerated, causing excruciating pain to the accused (Mr Lukwago), and certainly cannot be examined and treated in Luzira or anywhere in Uganda.’ He also raised concerns about Lukwago’s vulnerability to infections due to a declining white blood cell count, warning that his closeness to inmates suffering from tuberculosis (TB) could place him at greater risk.

Outside the courtroom, Mr Ssegona drew comparisons with previous cases where accused persons complained of serious health conditions while in detention. ‘For Hon Lukwago, his health situation is not any better. It gets worse day by day,’ he said. ‘I must mention this because we have seen cases before. There was a German national denied bail in Kalangala who died, and then we had Hon Muhammad Ssegirinya, who kept telling courts that he was in bad health until it was too late. We have put all these materials before the court, and we trust that the court will understand,’ he added. The State has since strongly opposed Lukwago’s release on bail, arguing that the offence he faces is grave, carries a potential life sentence, and raises national security concerns.

Prosecutors have also challenged the suitability of some of his proposed sureties and questioned claims that his age and health condition justify his release. Yesterday’s proceedings also unfolded against the backdrop of controversy surrounding the deportation of Kenyan lawyer and former Justice Minister Martha Karua, who had travelled to Uganda intending to attend Lukwango’s proceedings. Ms Karua and Mr Lukwago are both lead defence lawyers in the treason and misprision case that incarcerated Dr Kizza Besigye is currently facing. Asked about the matter, Mr Ssegona criticised the decision to deny her entry into the country.

‘I know that Martha Karua was not denied entry into the country but detained at the airport and deported. It is not within the spirit of the East African Community,’ he said. ‘An accused person is entitled to have a lawyer of his own choice from anywhere. I don’t think Martha is a security threat to this country,’ he said. As evening approached, supporters slowly dispersed from the court precincts, still uncertain whether the ruling expected within the next 24 hours would finally secure Lukwago’s temporary freedom. For now, the opposition politician remains behind bars at Luzira Prison, where his lawyers say each passing day is worsening an already fragile health condition.

Dear Tingasiga, There is a particular kind of wisdom that cannot be taught in a classroom or acquired from a book. It comes only from living – from decades of watching the world shift beneath your feet, from translating motivation into productivity, from burying friends, raising children, navigating institutions, and surviving one’s own mistakes.

Stephen Lwanga’s blog, Fork in the Road: Reflections on Life, is precisely that kind of wisdom made public. It is quiet, considered, deeply humane, and unexpectedly essential reading. Lwanga is a Ugandan scholar, my teacher in medical school, a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, a member of the International Epidemiological Association, and a Major Donor Rotarian.

He spent over two decades at the World Health Organisation in Geneva, providing statistical support across key programmes, contributing to methodologies that helped shape data-driven policy across the globe. Yet none of that institutional weight bears down on the reader when they open a blog post. What greets you instead is something far warmer: the voice of a thoughtful elder inviting you to sit down and think with him. Lwanga describes his blog as “fireside musings on the reasonably long life I have lived so far” – a way of thinking aloud over everyday issues, and sharing his views with people around him, physically and virtually. That framing is apt. Reading his posts genuinely resembles sitting by a fire with someone who has no interest in performing expertise, but every interest in honest reflection.

The range of topics Lwanga has addressed across the blog is remarkable in its breadth and its ordinariness: growing old, happiness, trust, friendship, death, faith, loneliness, hunger, retirement, education, poverty, hair, lies, tears, and salt, among many others. These are not the grand geopolitical themes of op-ed culture. They are the textures of daily life – the things most of us experience but seldom stop to examine with any care. This is the blog’s greatest strength. Lwanga takes something as unremarkable as a word like “goodbye” and unpacks it into something genuinely moving. In another post on reciprocation, he moves from the simple social norm of returning a favour all the way through to bribery, retaliation, and coercion – tracing the moral complexity embedded in an act most of us perform without a second thought.

He draws a careful distinction between ethical reciprocation and a bribe, noting that the key difference lies in intention and expected outcome. His most recent post, published last week, is titled ‘Motivation.” It unpacks this important subject in a manner that is accessible and gripping. The psychologists define motivation as the ‘impetus that gives purpose or direction to behaviour and operated in humans at a conscious or unconscious level.’ That is a great definition, but it can intimidate one who has not had some grounding in the discipline of psychology. Lwanga presents definitions and examples that are very easy for most of us to relate to.

An earlier blog in May titled ‘Head Covers” is a fine example of how Lwanga turns a seemingly trivial subject into a rich meditation on identity, responsibility, and trust. He traces his interest in the subject back to an earlier musing on hair, when he began wondering how people with shaved heads managed in the scorching sun without a cover – and from there, his wandering mind took him considerably further. What follows is a tour of head coverings across human experience: surgical caps in operating theatres; religious headwear from the hijab to the Jewish skullcap to the Sikh turban; the Rastafarian cap in its symbolic colours; the academic mortarboard; the traditional crown; the chef’s hat; the soldier’s beret.

Each is treated not as a fashion object but as a carrier of meaning. The post arrives at a powerful conclusion: that across all these professions and traditions, what we wear on the head often represents what we carry in responsibility – and that a bishop’s mitre, a nurse’s cap, a soldier’s beret, and a chef’s hat all convey something similar: “I am accountable for what happens under my care. This kind of thinking – ranging freely across medicine, religion, culture, and daily life, then landing on a unifying moral insight – is characteristic of Lwanga at his best. What is immediately striking about Lwanga’s writing is how unpretentious it is. He acknowledges his own habits openly – noting, for instance, that he tends to begin posts with definitions of key terms, a carry-over, he suspects, from his mathematical training, where one must lay out premises before making an argument.

This kind of self-awareness is disarming and earns the reader’s trust quickly. Writing about the challenges of growing old as a man of more than eight score years, he describes memory loss with a mixture of candour and gentle comedy – the trick of working through the alphabet to find a forgotten name, the frustration when it fails, and then the sudden moment when the name simply pops up once he has given up. There is no self-pity here, and no false cheer either. Just observation, honest and clear. And I related to it easily. Lwanga draws freely on Ugandan cultural references. He invokes a Baganda proverb – that it takes only one lungfish clan member to eat the lungfish to tarnish the whole clan – to illustrate how quickly trust can be destroyed by a single bad actor. These inclusions give the blog a cultural rootedness that enriches it considerably.

This is not a generic meditation on the human condition produced from some imagined global vantage point. It is a Ugandan man writing from Kampala, drawing on decades of lived experience in a specific place and culture, and the specificity only makes the universals land harder. Perhaps what is most striking about this blog is its motivation. Lwanga does not write to build a brand or accumulate followers. In response to a reader’s gratitude, he described his posts simply as “deeply felt ramblings of an old man” – his way of sharing the little he has gained in life with the world around him.

That is what the sages of days gone by used to do – driven by a spiritual generosity that seems to be in retreat these days. Lwanga’s blog is not flashy. It is patient, reflective, and quietly confident that ordinary experience, examined carefully, is worth writing about and worth reading. Whether the subject is something as large as death or as small as a hat, Lwanga finds in it a thread that leads somewhere worth following. This blog offers something increasingly hard to find: the considered perspective of a long life, offered freely to whoever wants to sit by the fire.