Category: Daily Monitor

President Museveni has called the youth to immortalise former Kenya prime minister Raila Odinga, and carry on with his struggle, which he shouldered to his death. In his speech read for him by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja during a memorial service for Odinga at All Saints’ Cathedral in Kampala City yesterday, Mr Museveni said they lost a brave freedom fighter and a Pan Africanist.

‘We have lost a brave freedom fighter. I urge all the Pan Africanists, especially the young people, to immortalise the late Raila Odinga by carrying forward the struggle to which he dedicated his life and remained true [to it] until his last breath.

You should intensify the struggle for Africa unity in order to achieve the three goals of strategic security, prosperity and fraternity,’ he said. Odinga died on October 15 in India. He was revered for fighting for democracy in Kenya despite facing numerous challenges. The Kenya government imprisoned him for nearly a decade on alleged capital offences. He was later freed and he fought on. Uganda Pan African Chapter organised the memorial service in Kampala City to remember him.

Mr Museveni said Odinga’s political movement was aimed at addressing people’s challenges. ‘He was able to endure numerous sacrifices and risks to his life and family because he was driven by strong convictions and the right principles in humanity. He was not seeking power for the sake of power, but to trigger unity within Kenya and African,’ he said. But before Ms Nabbanja read Mr Museveni’s speech, several Ugandan Opposition leaders, who attended the service, said the things that Odinga fought against are being done by the leadership in Uganda.

The embattled president of Uganda Peoples Congress, Mr James Akena, said the situation in Uganda is giving him a lot of pain. ‘I am in deep pain of what transpired in Uganda’s politics. .In this election, UPC wanted to bring the message of hope to the people of Uganda. Ugandans need to be heard. So, to honour a great son of Africa in the name of Raila Odinga, we cannot be quiet where there is injustice. We cannot be quiet when things are going wrong,’ he said.

Mr Akena wanted to stand for president under the UPC ticket, but his application was rejected by the Electoral Commission on grounds that court was yet to decide in the case where other party officials were battling for the party president. Mr Akena, however, accused the NRM government of being behind the plot to stop him from contesting. Mr Akena said they will memorise Odinga by fighting on for all citizens.

Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Norbert Mao called for compromise between different political parties just like Odinga did. ‘The other thing about Odinga is compromise. Many politicians take pride in saying, ‘I will not compromise’. …but the most important thing is that you must have some objectives that you should achieve,’ Mr Mao said. Church of Uganda Archbishop Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, who led the service, said politicians should emulate Odinga by advocating for reconciliation and peace.

AWARD

The late Raila Odinga from Kenya was awarded posthumously an award by the Pan African Uganda Chapter for his role and fight for Pan Africanism.

Parliament this week blocked journalists from Nation Media Group Uganda, including Daily Monitor, from covering the House. It was done willy-nilly and weaselly, through mealy-mouthed references to obscure investigations by “security” — often a blanket reference designed to both intimidate and deflect accountability.

Whoever called the shot lacked the testicular fortitude to own it, as well as the decorum to subject it, even circumstantially, to due process. Isn’t it ironic when lawmakers act outside the laws they write and pass?

Alas, this unparliamentary behaviour in Parliament has been more than a decade in the making. What was initially a box-ticking accreditation process for journalists to cover the House was slowly but surely weaponised to get rid of pesky journalists. Those that remained faced an impossible choice, of reporting and keeping their places on the perch, or doing journalism and facing the consequences. Tellingly, the most critical coverage of Parliament is increasingly coming from activist outfits like Agora, or super-niche ones like Parliament Watch.

Yet Parliament is not alone in wanting to determine who covers it, and how it is covered. It is merely following the example set by the Presidency and several other public entities that seek to criminalise criticism and weaponise access and advertising.

Public officials choosing who covers them and how is the equivalent of school pupils marking their own homework and awarding themselves grades. The rose crown of occupying public office and being paid off the taxpayer’s purse comes with the thorns of accountability and the discomfort of criticism, including that which the officeholder might find offensive.

A public official who finds themselves on the receiving end of coverage or criticism that they find unfair has three options. The first is to demand the right of reply to counter the unfair or incorrect criticism with facts and allow the truth to emerge.

Any self-respecting media house, aware that it’s engaged in an unending pursuit of the best obtainable version of the truth, should stand corrected and provide a clarification or apology to its audience and the concerned official if needed.

Public officials (and private individuals) also have the right to seek legal redress if they have reason to believe that they have been libelled or defamed. This isn’t always perfect, and there are very recent examples of public officials leaning on judges to find for them in defamation lawsuits, or award them extortionate damages — but this at least allows some due process.

Thin-skinned public officials irritated by constant criticism can also return to private life where, unmoored from the public purse and perks of public office, they can enjoy undisturbed peace and quiet.

What they shouldn’t be allowed to do is to use the political, financial and administrative power of their public offices to insulate themselves from accountability, or reward, from the public purse, the praise-singers who see or hear no evil.

In the early days of the NRM government, President Museveni routinely summoned senior editors to chew the fat. The conversations were off-the-record or on deep background to allow for candid exchanges.

The journalists circled and probed. The President, confident in his ideology and comfortable in his intellect, parried, explained, counterargued. Some of the editors, like Wafula Oguttu, had been activists and active supporters. Others, like William Pike at New Vision, had given the NRA rebel group an imprimatur of credibility and acceptance. The exchanges gave the editors context; it gave the President and his NRM top brass free intelligence.

Two broad takeaways emerge from the rising contemporary attacks on independent media in Uganda in particular, and civil society generally. First, the NRA/M has lost its ideological and intellectual core that was able to debate its inevitable contradictions internally and cogently respond to criticism externally. The NRA/M wasn’t always an advocate of free press as the advertising ban on the Monitor showed, but there were enough insiders to argue back and show the dangers of a one-sided story. Onboarding opponents and dissidents as converts has expanded the NRM church but diluted its religion and the faith of its adherents.

The second is that as the underlying business model of traditional media shifts away from advertising to reader revenue, the premium on credible and independent media is going to become higher, not less. The onus will fall on ordinary citizens to back — with their wallets, attention, and feedback — those media houses that are best aligned to their world views and act in the broader public interest.

It is admittedly a bit of a self-serving argument, but you get the media you deserve, the information you are willing to pay for, and the media houses and spaces you are willing to fight for.

As the international community grapples with pressing global issues, the dynamics of conditional donor funding within the United Nations (UN) development system have come under intense scrutiny. The recent UN reforms, which celebrate 80 years of advancing global development, highlight the critical need for accountability in donor-recipient relationships. However, this good intention can sometimes become muddied by the complexities of external influence. Conditional funding-financial assistance given with specific requirements concerning governance, human rights, and socio-economic conditions-can create a dichotomy that presents both opportunities for progress and dangers for local autonomy.

On a positive note, such funding imperatives can ensure that development efforts align with crucial global values like sustainability and human rights. Yet, they also risk infringing on the sovereignty of the countries they aim to support. Imagine a scenario in which a donor country stipulates certain human rights norms as prerequisites for its funding. While these conditions are often intended to promote positive change, they can disregard the unique social fabric and governance structures of the recipient nation. This raises a challenging question: should a country compromise its own cultural values to meet the expectations imposed from abroad?

Ultimately, this practice risks undermining local ownership and stifling the innovative potential within these communities, reducing their ability to craft solutions that genuinely reflect their aspirations. Moreover, accountability often suffers in the complex landscape of multi-stakeholder engagements. While the UN has established mechanisms such as the United Nations Independent Systemwide Evaluation Mechanism (UNISWEM) for enhancing transparency and effective resource management, these systems can falter when faced with the shifting conditions imposed by donors.

This can lead to a cycle of dependency where recipient nations struggle for their priorities to be recognised, creating an environment where donor countries hold disproportionate power over the developmental agenda. To mitigate these risks, a thoughtful re-evaluation of thought processes surrounding conditional donor funding is essential. A collaborative approach that respects the autonomy of recipient nations while maintaining accountability could pave the way for more sustainable development outcomes. Ongoing dialogue between donors and recipients about the terms of funding can help align shared interests and cultural considerations.

Moving forward, it is imperative that discussions around best practices in accountability also empower recipient nations to reclaim their developmental narratives. Aligning funding with local priorities is crucial to creating a fairer and more effective developmental landscape that favours genuine agency.

Addressing these intricate challenges is no small feat, yet it remains vital for ensuring meaningful progress. Prioritising the voices and needs of recipient countries, including citizens with the greatest need, will enable the United Nations to more effectively fulfil its mission of promoting inclusive and sustainable global development.

As we increasingly recognise the complexities of international development, partnerships must be built on respect for local autonomy, allowing communities in need to thrive according to their own vision of success.

As Kampala approaches another round of local elections next year, the city stands at a point that requires some important choices to be made. Once again, voters will choose a new Lord Mayor, a decision that could either open a fresh chapter of cooperation or prolong the gridlock that has stalled the city’s growth for years. The central question for many residents and stakeholders is, will the next Lord Mayor work with the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) executive director to make the city better for all?

For more than a decade, Kampala’s leadership has been trapped in a tug-of-war between political authority and administrative control. The KCCA Act gives the executive director the technical and operational mandate, while the Lord Mayor serves mainly as a political overseer. In practice, this has too often produced rivalry instead of results. The next Lord Mayor will inherit this tension but also an opportunity to reset relations and build a culture of cooperation centred on service delivery.

Kampala’s problems are visible and urgent: unreliable waste collection, traffic congestion, poor housing planning, deteriorating roads, unemployment, and insufficient public amenities. None of these challenges can be solved through politics alone. What Kampala needs is teamwork between the city technical wing and the political wing of KCCA, a relationship guided by mutual respect and shared purpose. If the incoming Lord Mayor and the executive director embrace collaboration, the impact would be felt far beyond city offices.

The business community, which continues to bear the brunt of inconsistent regulations, unpredictable market policies, and overlapping taxes, would greatly benefit from a coordinated administration. Traders, taxi operators, and small-scale entrepreneurs have long asked for clarity and fairness. A united leadership would create a more stable environment for investment, helping both formal and informal businesses to thrive. Equally important is the fate of Kampala’s young people. The Lord Mayor and executive director must view youth development not as a campaign slogan but as a policy priority.

With unemployment and idleness fuelling crime and social frustration, the city’s leadership must invest in sports and recreation facilities that can channel youthful energy into productivity. Across all the city divisions from Kawempe to Makindye, Lubaga to Central and Nakawa Division, abandoned fields, gyms, and playgrounds such as Kaddiba in Mengo Lubaga, Clocktower in Central, Kampala Boxing Club Gym, and others remind us of lost opportunities. Yet sports remain one of the most powerful tools for empowerment.

When young people engage in boxing, football, netball, or other sports activities, they learn teamwork, discipline, and resilience. More importantly, active participation in sports reduces exposure to drugs, teenage pregnancies, and the spread of HIV/Aids. It keeps the youth healthy, hopeful, and connected to their communities. Cities that have prioritised sports and youth spaces have witnessed reduced crime and improved well-being. Kampala’s next leadership should follow that path by restoring community playgrounds, supporting community tournaments, and investing in recreational infrastructure. Such efforts would not only nurture talent but also build social cohesion and civic pride.

Beyond sports, the next Lord Mayor should partner with the executive director to promote urban skilling programmes and innovation centres that can help young people create their own jobs. Kampala’s informal sector already employs thousands, from street vendors to artisans, but lacks institutional support. Joint leadership can transform these small hustles into sustainable enterprises. For this to happen, however, political ego must give way to public interest. The next Lord Mayor and the executive director must see each other not as a rival but as allies in the mission to transform Kampala.

When these two offices work hand-in-hand, accountability improves, bureaucracy reduces, and service delivery becomes efficient. The people, not the politicians, are the real winners. Kampala’s voters, too, hold a responsibility. In next year’s elections, they must look beyond personalities and instead choose leaders who value cooperation and competence. The city’s future depends on leaders willing to share vision, credit, and responsibility. Kampala does not need another cycle of power standoffs; it needs a partnership that delivers. Only then will Kampala become the inclusive, productive, and livable city its citizens deserve.

The country’s health sector is buckling under a major drop in donor support, with external (donor) funding for the national health budget declining from the high of 49 percent in 2022 to just 23 percent this year. The revelation is contained in a joint report by the Uganda National NGO Forum and the Centre for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD), released yesterday in Kampala. The report indicates that this sharp decline, by more than half within four years, amid insufficient increases in domestic resource allocation to plug the gaps and increasing health needs, has exposed deep structural vulnerabilities, eroded service quality, and left many vulnerable Ugandans struggling to access essential care.

The sector has been heavily relying on donors to provide services to Ugandans. In 2022, the domestic funding towards the health sector was at Shs2.4 trillion, while external (donor) funding was at Shs2.3 trillion. But in 2025, the domestic funding is estimated at Shs4.4 trillion while external funding has declined to Shs1.3 trillion. ‘The reduction in external financing (on-budget) has exposed various systemic risks with immediate disruptions to HIV/Aids [services], maternal health, and essential medicines,’ said Mr Richard Muganzi, the director of programmes at CEHURD, while presenting the report.

‘The limited sources of domestic financing have negative effects on service quality, continuity, and progress toward the Abuja target (of allocating 15 percent of the national budget to the health sector),’ he added. Mr Muganzi also observed the effects of shrinking donor support on the support supervision and accountability drive, signalling poor transition interventions. ‘Many differentiated health service delivery programmes and community-based initiatives have been phased out or scaled down amid shortages in drug supplies, staff attrition, and reduced outreach activities in hard-to-reach areas and among vulnerable groups,’ he said.

The major staff attrition followed the recent abolition of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which was employing health workers to supplement government efforts in health facilities and community-based programmes, according to doctors. As a result, the report shows, there is increased demotivation and increased workload for staff employed by the government, limited access to HIV treatment and prevention services. The report further shows weak support mechanisms for local implementers and reduced availability of sexual and reproductive health services and gender-based violence interventions.

According to the report, the allocation of the total national budget to the health sector in Uganda has remained significantly low at around 6 percent compared to other countries in the region. Rwanda allocates around 13.5 percent of its budget to health, Tanzania (9.2 percent), Kenya (11 percent), and Ethiopia (7.2 percent), according to the report. The report states that significant debt burden is also limiting the government’s capacity to fund health services, as around 27 percent of the budget is for debt servicing.

Ministry of Health speaks

But Dr Charles Olaro, the director general of health services at the Ministry of Health, said the government is committed to plugging the gaps created by the withdrawal of donors like USAID and the general decline in funding. ‘I am happy to report that the quantified gap of over Shs400b that was left by the US executive orders, especially in the area of HIV/Aids, will be filled by the GoU [Government of Uganda] budget beginning this financial year,’ he said.

‘In addition, at the national health financing dialogue held in May, we committed to ensuring more health funding by being efficient as we pursue more money for health. There is now a greater focus on investing in prevention and community-level services (PHC),’ he said. He added that they are doing more with what is at hand through implementing service integration approaches at all levels to save resources. ‘Uganda, like many other low and middle-income countries that rely heavily on foreign aid, has been affected by the abrupt cuts seen in recent months. It is estimated that external financing will reduce to the tune of 25 to 50 percent in the short to medium term,’ he added.

Dr Olaro also said the domestic financing has been rising over time. ‘I would like to note that the government has made significant allocations to the health sector in the last five years of Shs2.788 trillion in the 2020/2021 financial year to Shs4.486 trillion in 2024/2025 financial year,’ he said. ‘This has had positive effects on the total health expenditure as well. For instance, government health expenditure as a percentage of current health expenditure increased from 15 percent 2018/2019 financial year to 21 percent in the 2020/2021 financial year,’ he added.

Recommendation

Key recommendations from the report and in the panel discussion during the dissemination included strengthening domestic resource mobilisation, enhancing public-private partnerships, improving accountability, investing in primary healthcare, and maintaining partnerships. Specifically in the report, the two organisations said the country should, within one to two years, expand sin taxes, improve budget execution, set up a transparency dashboard, pilot the district National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) design, and secure donor bridge funding.

For the medium-term (three to five years), they advised the country to formalise NHIS pilots; roll-out pooled procurement changes; enact some legal and administrative changes to allow earmarks; begin with motor-insurance and mobile levy pilots. In the long-term (five to 15 years), the country should scale NHIS nationally with indigent subsidies; operationalise a National Solidarity Fund; effect performance-based purchasing and explore vital finance.

‘Building a diversified, predictable, and equitable financing system is essential for universal health coverage. Uganda’s health financing system is at a crossroads requiring effective implementation of reforms,’ the report reads. ‘Donor dependency and fiscal constraints risk reversing health gains. There is need for political will, predictable funding, and equitable service delivery,’ the report reads further.

What officials said

Dr Moses Isooba, executive director of Uganda NGO Forum, said: ‘Development partners’ financing is going to continue to decrease, so our government needs to invest quite substantially in public services like health. Our collective commitment needs to ensure that our investment in health leads to measurable improvement in equity, quality, and access.’ Mr Patrick Mwanja, commissioner of Infrastructure and Social Services Department of Ministry of Finance, said:

‘We have seen the human capital development (which encompasses the health sector) receiving the largest parts of the budget, around Shs11.4 trillion, up from Shs10 trillion in the last financial year, showing growth of 9.6 percent. In the health sub-programme, since 2021, we have seen growth from Shs2.1 trillion to Shs5.5 trillion , and are contributing eight percent of the national budget and an annual growth of about 9.6 percent. So the government is committed to increasing financing. Our focus has been on increasing infrastructure for the health centres, district hospitals, and referral hospitals. But the challenges remain in operationalising these facilities.’

Ms Ruth Ajalo, the head of the strategic litigation programme at CEHURD said: ‘The era of abundant donor funding is shifting, and with it comes an urgent need for innovation, efficiency, and sustainability within our own systems.’ Ms Christabel Abewe, a health financing officer at WHO Uganda Country Office, said: ‘As you know, we’ve been heavily relying on external aid, at least for Uganda.

50 percent of our total expenditure has been from external support. But what we are seeing now is tighter fiscal space from the countries that used to donate to us. And what that means is that they don’t have too much to give to countries like Uganda anymore.’ Mr Julius Mukunda, the executive director of CSBAG Uganda, said : ‘In Uganda, the problem is, people think there is no money. The problem is, we don’t know how to use the money.’

External funding.

The reduction in external financing (on budget) has exposed various systemic risks with immediate disruptions to HIV/Aids [services], maternal health, and essential medicines- Mr Richard Muganzi, the director of programmes at CEHURD.

To most Ugandans, the name “The Juilliard School” would mean very little. Within the global arts scene, however, it is a mark of exceptional prestige. This is the world Patrick Kabanda now inhabits, a world of policy briefs, Cambridge University Press publications, and World Bank forums for which his Juilliard training uniquely prepared him. Yet the origin of his journey was not a prestigious concert hall, but the quiet stillness of Namirembe Cathedral.

There, the pipe organ did not merely produce sound; it breathed. It rumbled as distant thunder before softening into a whisper so delicate it felt as a prayer woven into air.

For a young Kabanda, that moment was a profound revelation. He possessed neither the language of development economics nor the vocabulary of public policy. His only guide was a sense of awe that powerful wonder which serves as the first and most vital teacher for any artist.

Irreverence for music

Growing up in Uganda, music was present but not always respected. It lived in church services, wedding bands and the energy of community gatherings. People loved it, but they did not always believe in it. The unspoken message was clear; music could decorate life, but it could not define it.

Careers were to be built in medicine, law, engineering and such professions. Music, at best, was tolerated. At worst, it was dismissed. The phrase many young artistes heard repeatedly, ‘MDD — Music Dance and Drama, is for unserious people’, hung in the air like a warning. Kabanda heard it too. But what he also heard, more powerfully, was the voice of the organ.

Joining Julliard

He joined the choir the way many Ugandan children do, not as a declaration of artistic ambition but as part of church culture. Yet from the beginning, he approached it differently. When others sang and went home, he stayed behind, studying the music sheets, trying to understand the notes and architecture behind them. Access to instruments was not always guaranteed. Sometimes practicing meant waiting for someone with a key.

Other times, it meant copying scores by hand because photocopying was a luxury. These early acts of persistence were small, almost invisible, but each one sharpened his discipline. In those moments, without knowing it yet, he was learning a language he would one day use beyond music; the language of systems, access, and opportunity.

‘To go from Kampala’s cathedral loft to The Juilliard School in New York is not a leap most people imagine possible. Juilliard is a world of precise excellence, where brilliance is expected and competition is woven into the floorboards,’ Kabanda says.

But Kabanda arrived with intent. He practiced, performed, studied, until he belonged and excelled.

Winning the William Schuman Prize for outstanding achievement and leadership in music was more than an award; it was a global acknowledgment that the boy from Namirembe had stepped into a lineage of world-shaping artistes.

But even at his peak as a performing organist, something in him remained restless. It was not dissatisfaction with music, it was a deeper realisation about what music had given him, structure, discipline, reflection and resilience.

‘I began to see that what I had learned through the organ — how to listen, practice, and layer complexity. They were the very skills missing in many national development conversations,’ he says.

Nation building with art

Nations built roads and stadiums, but where were the music schools, rehearsal spaces, cultural policies, grants for young creators? Why did national budgets treat art as leisure instead of infrastructure?

This restlessness led him to a surprising new setting: The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts. Fletcher is one of America’s oldest graduate schools of international relations. There, surrounded by economists, diplomats, and policy strategists, he began to translate his artistic insight into a new vocabulary.

While others drafted papers on trade agreements and bilateral negotiations, he wrote one titled ‘Where Culture Leads, Trade Follows.’ It was not poetic indulgence but strategic argument.

‘If Africa could trade its minerals and coffee, why could it not trade its cultural capital with equal seriousness? If global trade agreements could standardise tariffs on machinery, why not create structures to protect and export artistic labour?’ Kabanda argued.

In hallowed spaces

From there, he entered arenas most artistes never see. At the World Bank, he co-authored research influencing how creative industries are understood in development economics. At UNDP, Kabanda contributed to reports on digital inequality and cultural access. But perhaps his most significant contribution came through a book, titled The Creative Wealth of Nations, published by Cambridge University Press with a foreword by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen.

The book does not romanticise the arts and the author does not claim that music alone will heal economies. Instead, he argues something more powerful, that without creativity, economies may grow, but they will not evolve. They will produce labour without innovation, infrastructure without imagination and GDP without identity. For African nations, that message is both urgent and personal. The continent is rich in rhythm, story, colour, design, improvisation, yet its policies rarely reflect that.

Why art matters

This ability to unite policy and art is what defines him most, not just as a musician or a policy thinker, but as a connector of worlds people think are separate. He believes that a nation that funds science and ignores art will build factories but struggle to inspire invention. He believes that cultural respect is not a sideshow, but a sign of national maturity.

And he believes that one of the highest forms of development is when a young artist no longer has to justify their existence. Today, when he sits at an organ, the posture is familiar- focused, patient, listening for balance between silence and surge. And when he sits at a policy roundtable, his approach is not so different.

He listens, arranges and adjusts registers. To him, good policy, like good music, is about harmony, not the absence of conflict but the intentional arrangement of difference into something that moves people.

Kabanda plays two instruments. One is made of pipes and keys. The other is made of policy and words. Both, in his hands, are tools of creation, not just of music, but of possibility. And through them, he invites the world to listen to Africa’s sound of survival and sound of imagination.

To truly understand that small can be as beautiful and functional as a large space, you have to step inside Essy Kyarikunda’s home. It is a masterclass in balance, where the entire living area feels intuitively “just right.” The genius of the design lies not in what it contains, but in how each element serves a purpose. A kitchen island is both a prep station and a dining table; a sofa defines the living area without dominating it.

Here, function is woven so seamlessly into the form that the space feels curated, not crowded. Nothing is extraneous, yet nothing is missing. It is a testament to the idea that a home’s comfort comes not from its square footage, but from the thoughtful harmony of its parts.

Many people believe a big house is the only way to live a comfortable and successful life. Kyarikunda was originally one of them when she set out to build her home.

She designed her home with separate rooms, each divided by walls; a small kitchen, a dining area, and a living room all closed off from one another.

“The original plan I chose was very common,” she explains. “It had a small, closed-off kitchen, a spot just for a dining table, and a formal living room with a large sofa set.”

This common layout, however, used space in a very inefficient way. The walls that were meant to create different rooms actually made the home feel tight and cramped. “There was no easy room to walk through; I was always squeezing around furniture,” she remembers. “The rooms always looked cluttered and messy, without any feeling of calm.”

It took a fire that damaged her kitchen, to change her space. It allowed her to completely rethink her home’s design. She decided to move away from the old-fashioned layout and embrace a modern, open floor plan. This was not just a small change; it was a complete new vision for her home, turning it from a series of small, boxy rooms into one continuous, flowing space.

Collecting great design ideas

The plan for her new home did not come from a single magazine. Instead, it was built from a collection of smart ideas she gathered during her stays in different countries. Her travels showed her clever solutions for living comfortably in smaller areas.

From a stylish rental apartment in Dubai, she learnt the value of a kitchen island that does more than one job. This single item worked as a counter for preparing food, a table for eating meals, and a central point for the whole living area.

“The island was brilliant because it combined uses,” Kyarikunda notes. “It meant I did not need a separate dining table, which saved a lot of floor space. Also, the stools could be pushed completely under the counter when not needed, keeping the area looking clean and open.”

Later, while staying in an apartment in Kenya, she saw another smart idea; using simple chairs placed against a wall instead of big, bulky sofas that curve into the room. This choice showed that you can still have comfortable seating without letting the furniture take over the entire space, keeping the room feeling light and easy to move through.

Opening up

Kyarikunda chose the open floor plan because she understood how it affects how we see and feel in a space. “The biggest advantage is how it changes the feeling of the room’s size,” she says.

“Without walls blocking the view, your eyes can move freely across the whole area. This makes your brain think the space is much larger than it truly is.”

Beyond just looking bigger, the open plan creates a more connected and social way of living. For someone who likes a neat and tidy home, the layout makes it easy to keep an eye on everything from one spot. It also makes life more sociable.

“There is no longer a hard separation between the person cooking and the guests relaxing,” she explains.

“I can talk with visitors in the living room while I am cooking in the kitchen, or I can watch my favourite TV shows from the kitchen counter. The space encourages people to be together instead of being stuck in separate rooms.”

Key ingredients for an open home

Making an open design work well is not as simple as just taking down walls. It requires a thoughtful plan where every detail works together. Kyarikunda focused on several important areas to make her home both beautiful and functional.

A careful colour plan

Her first step was to choose a simple and elegant colour scheme. She picked soft and rich colours such as warm whites, soft golds, and pops of turquoise, for her cabinets and main furniture. This choice does two important things; the light colours help bounce light around the room, making it brighter, and using the same colours throughout helps all the different areas feel like one connected space, which makes it seem larger. The overall feeling is both open and luxurious.

Layered lighting

Kyarikunda sees lighting as a crucial tool, not just something practical. Her plan has two parts. To use as much sunlight as possible, she made her windows and doors bigger. These larger openings now act as big light sources, filling the home with daylight and making the inside feel connected to the outdoors. For nighttime, she created a detailed plan with eight different lights.

“Some of my furniture is dark, which is nice, but without enough light the room could feel dark and small at night,” she says. “I use a mix of overall light, light for specific tasks, and accent lights to make sure the whole space feels warm, bright, and open even after the sun goes down.”

Furniture arrangement

In an open room, the furniture creates areas for different activities without using walls. Kyarikunda chose every piece for its size, shape, and where it would be placed.

She passed on a beautiful, curved sofa because it would have broken up the space, and instead chose a straighter one that sits neatly against the wall. This smart choice helps mark the living area while keeping the floor open, allowing for a coffee table and, most importantly, creating clear and easy walking paths so the room never feels difficult to move through.

A trick for the eyes

As a final touch, Kyarikunda plans to add a very large mirror that stretches from the floor to the ceiling.

This is a classic and effective trick in design.

By placing the mirror across from a large window or door, it will make the room look like it goes on further, reflecting both the light from outside and the view, creating a convincing and beautiful illusion of a much bigger and deeper space.

Clutter

Kyarikunda is very strict about avoiding clutter. In one open room, every item that is left out is visible.

To manage this, she has plenty of hidden storage, especially in the kitchen, where cabinets hold anything that would make the space look messy. This effort to keep things tidy not only makes the home feel organised but also makes it feel more airy and spacious, allowing the room itself to feel calm and open.

The road to Lugogo already feels like a pressure cooker. The Nile Special National Open Pool Championship mini qualifiers, the first step in the chase for a brand new car, produced both heartbreak and high-fives over the weekend.

Former Greater Mukono captain Patrick Ssekirime learned a brutal lesson in Kamuli. His fresh move to Club 408 in Ntinda came with a strategy to dodge the big sharks in Central Uganda.

Fate, though, had a cruel sense of humour. Ssekirime fell to total novices at the quarterfinal stage, crashing out before he could even sniff the Lugogo finals.

The pool gods showed more mercy in Mukono. At the buzzing iTaano Arena, former national team captain Habib Ssebuguzi flexed his pedigree and glided into the next stage. His successful campaign was matched by Allan Kayiwa, Ibrahim Manuku and Sam Mugalula who also booked their tickets to the regional qualifiers at the same venue next month.

These minis are open only to players outside the elite bracket: the top eight men and top four women in the national rankings. For many, this is the dream gateway to the Grand Finals at Lugogo where champions drive home in new wheels.

Pool Cranes star Ian Kazibwe made sure his dream stayed firmly on course. He dominated the qualification rounds at UN Arena-Kitebi in Entebbe, joining the growing list of hopefuls chasing the championship’s glittering prize.

The qualifying frenzy rolls on with 56 venues hosting battles this weekend in what is a staggering 320-venue national journey.

Once the dust settles on the minis, eyes will shift to the regional qualifiers beginning November 8. A total of 120 men and 28 ladies will fight for their place at the Lugogo Grand Finals set for Sunday, December 21.

Uganda’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Zaake W Kibedi, says the East African country can be where the Middle East country currently is in 15 years.

Ambassador Kibedi, who was addressing delegates at the opening of the Fourth Uganda-UAE Business Forum in Kampala on Tuesday, expressed optimism, citing World Bank statistics.

‘The statistics show that in 1970, the economy of the UAE was valued at $686 million, while Uganda’s economy in the same year, was valued at $1.2 billion, meaning Uganda’s economy was bigger than UAE economy in 1970,’ Ambassador Kibedi said on Tuesday.

He added: ‘But now, they (UAE) are at $537 billion; so, when we strengthen this collaboration, then we don’t have to reinvent the will. The ten-fold programme aims at raising Uganda’s economy to $500 billion.’

The Uganda-UAE Business Forum is an annual event organised by the Uganda Embassy, Abu Dhabi and the Uganda Consulate General, Dubai in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Department for Economic Development, Abu Dhabi Chamber and Dubai Chambers to promote investments, trade, tourism innovation and technology transfer.

The inaugural forum in 2022 was held across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Ras Al Khaimah, while the second edition in 2023 took place in Kampala, Uganda. Last year, the third edition returned to Abu Dhabi.

This year’s forum, held in Kampala from October 27-29 under the theme ‘Unlocking Opportunities, Building Bridges through Trade and Investment’, brought together business leaders, private sector representatives, and senior government officials from both countries to strengthen bilateral partnerships in investment, trade, tourism, and innovation, among other areas.

Uganda’s Prime Minister, Ms Robinah Nabanja, while officially opening the summit, said strengthening Uganda-UAE relations is important because it helps to continue a strong bond of economic cooperation and shared vision for sustainable development.

She cited the waiver of Visa requirements between both countries as a ‘great milestone,’ adding that ‘as a result, the UAE has become Uganda’s largest export destination.’

Ms Nabanja described Uganda as ‘the best investment destination in Africa’, highlighting its status as ‘one of the rapidly-growing economies in the world,’ according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

She cited the country’s stable currency, a range of tax and non-tax incentives for investors, fertile soils, abundant fresh water, and favorable weather conditions as key attractions for investment.

Ms Evelyn Anite, the State Minister for Investment and Privatisation, said from the first summit, where we had zero investment between UAE and Uganda, today, we are talking about $3.5b of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) invested in Uganda; these are all by companies in the UAE.

‘Initially, Ugandans didn’t know how to access the UAE market; now, they know, that is why the business-to-business is happening, Ugandan traders are now able to take their products and trade in the UAE,’ Ms Anite said, envisioning that by the tenth edition of this summit, ‘we shall be very far away.’

‘In ten years, if we have been able to grow to 50,000 factories, we must make sure that we continue with the winning policies that we have put in place,’ said Ms Anite.

She added: ‘We project that with oil and gas, having more electricity, and with the tax and nontax incentives that we have in place, we have a projection of another 50,000 industries coming on board.’

In January, President Museveni visited the UAE, and in May, the UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, visited Uganda.

Their meetings led to the signing of six Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering sectors including investment protection, works and transport, diplomatic training and capacity building, joint development, digital transformation, and energy.

The first-ever International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s Cricket Week came alive in Uganda with a full-house celebration at Gayaza High School on October 22, where over 300 enthusiastic learners took to the field for a day of drills, mentorship, laughter, and inspiration.

The event – held in partnership with the touring Canadian women’s team and Uganda’s Victoria Pearls – mirrored global celebrations taking place across continents, coinciding with the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup action in Asia where Australia outclassed England by 6 wickets in a classic encounter.

From the opening warm-up stretches to the final cheers of the mini-games, the atmosphere at Gayaza was electric. ‘Canada brought the vibe, Uganda the heart, and Gayaza the energy,’ Cricket Uganda captioned the day’s recap on its official social media channels – and few would disagree.

Equality and inclusion

Cricket Uganda’s Hon Secretary Denis Musali described the day as a true reflection of what intentional inclusion can achieve. ‘The purpose of Women’s Cricket Week is to grow the involvement of girls in sport and use it as a tool for equality, inclusion, and teamwork,’ said Musali. ‘The enthusiasm of the girls left a big impression. If we remain deliberate about opportunities for them, there’s a lot of hidden talent waiting to be unearthed.’

Cricket Uganda Acting CEO Evelyn Kabongerwa Shinyekwa echoed that optimism. ‘This was an exciting day for the girls – a reminder that cricket is now a global sport. Our role is to build pathways and make resources available so that these girls can dream, train, and compete at the highest level,’ she said.less opportunities

The school’s proud alumna and Cricket Uganda Women’s Representative on the board Leila Namaganda Ondeko drew cheers from the young crowd as she shared her story. ‘When I started playing cricket, I didn’t know the game would take me this far,’ she said. ‘Cricket gave me leadership, friendship, and a career. There are endless opportunities in the sport – from doctors and physiotherapists to analysts and psychologists. Take your chance on cricket.’

For the girls of Gayaza, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Ramona Nanono, one of the standout students, spoke for many: ‘Being a cricketer improves communication and confidence. I was so happy to learn from Canada and Uganda’s players. I discovered I’m a good spinner – my balls were turning! Uganda Cricket should bring such activities every year; they’ll make more girls fall in love with the game.’

Canadian international Jasmina Oldham described the day as an honour and a joy. ‘The first-ever ICC Women’s Cricket Week is special. When I started, I played with boys. But today, seeing so many young girls laughing, playing, and enjoying the game was amazing. I hope this spark keeps spreading – here in Uganda and back home in Canada.’

GLOBAL CONNECTION

Grassroots Power. From Gayaza to Hong Kong, Cyprus to Eswatini, Women’s Cricket Week linked young girls worldwide under one message – equality through sport. Uganda’s celebrations reinforced why Gayaza High School remains the cradle of women’s cricket in the country – a place where some of the first Victoria Pearls were born, and the next generation is already warming up.