Category: Daily Monitor

Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) has raised alarm over the widespread abandonment of women diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer by their husbands during and after treatment, warning that it is contributing to low survival rates among patients. These two cancers remain the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among Ugandan women, claiming 6,342 lives annually -equivalent to 17 deaths every single day.

Cervical cancer alone kills 4,782 women each year, or 13 per day -a toll comparable to a fully loaded 14-seater taxi crashing and claiming almost all passengers daily, according to the 2022 World Health Organisation report. Dr Nixon Niyonzima, the head of research and training at UCI, expressed frustration in an interview with the Daily Monitor on Thursday.

‘We see very few husbands at the bedside of their wives. Most women are cared for by their mothers, sisters, or children,’ he said.

‘We have also had cases where men, especially when their wives get breast cancer or cervical cancer, they actually abandon the woman and get another wife,’ Dr Niyonzima added.

‘This causes untold trauma to our mothers. I want to encourage men to be part of the care process because it’s paramount, it’s critical to our mothers and our sisters’ survival,’ he added.

Dr Niyonzima further said cancer care is challenging and for a patient to survive, they should receive a lot of social and psychological support. ‘Cancer itself is challenging, and I think the support is very important,’ he said.

Mary Amuno from Makerere University Sociology Department, in a 2019 report of a small study among breast cancer patients at UCI, confirmed this trend. The report states that of the 20 respondents interviewed, ‘only five (25 percent) of women were still in a proper relationship with their spouses and relatives’ who support them financially and accompany them to hospital for treatment. ‘As soon as I was diagnosed with breast cancer and l told my husband, relatives and friends, they started giving me distance and my husband’s character changed,’ one of the abandoned mothers narrated to the researcher.

‘He could always quarrel with me and since I came to Mulago, I have now spent one full year staying here without anybody from my family checking on me or even receiving a phone call,’ she added.

The researcher observed that from her analysis, ‘there exists lack of proper relationships between breast cancer patients and spouses, which has made them susceptible to emotional over load’ and ‘the community also has excluded them from the social gatherings.’

Makubuya sticks around

When our reporter visited UCI last week, we found a few men taking care of their wives and other patients. But the majority of patients, who benefited from the recently concluded breast surgery camp where 40 women received free surgery, were being looked after by women.

Davis Makubuya from Mukono District, embodies the husbands who stay. His story contrasts the abandonment Niyonzima decries. His wife, Susan Agwang Makubuya, noticed breast swelling in 2021; by 2022, tests confirmed cancer.

Referred to UCI, they navigated a year of treatment, hitting financial walls until a free October breast camp offered surgery. ‘We have been waiting for seven months. The services are good-no fees,’ Makubuya said last Thursday. ‘Being with my wife. I have slept on the cement. It has made a lot of sense to me and impacted my love story. I feel proud I have stood with her in this testing time. It’s about commitment to your wife. We have four children,’ he added.

Why men abandon wives

Available studies indicate that husbands abandon wives because of a range of issues, which are largely based on myths and misconceptions. These include avoiding financial stress related to cancer treatment and belief that they shouldn’t waste money on the women because they will die since the disease ‘has no cure’.

But UCI specialists say the disease is curable and chance of cure increases when detected early. But some men, according to researchers, also abandon women claiming their women had lifestyles that increased the risk of cancer. But UCI surgeon, Dr Edward Kakungulu said one can develop cancer even without engaging in risky lifestyles such as alcohol consumption and smoking. He said some people have inherited mutations that naturally increase their cancer risks.

2023 findings

A 2023 study in Mid-Western Uganda by Marlieke de Fouw and colleagues discovered that women with cervical cancer suffer from stigmatisation and abandonment ‘due to loss of fertility, less marital sexual activity, domestic violence and decreased economic productivity.’ According to the discussions with men in the communities, researchers discovered that women faced abandonment because some linked having cervical cancer to adultery of the woman.

‘This infection is through sexual intercourse so the man will know that his wife cheated on him, that is why she has cervical cancer (..) Now the man will start doubting his wife and he may chase her from his home,’ one of the participants told researchers, pointing to the need for more awareness.

Surgery

Women who have undergone surgery to remove their breast or uterus also face higher risk of abandonment, because the men no longer categorise them as women, according to the report. ‘Cancer scares men more than HIV/Aids. Aids has tablets, but with cancer, where are they? People with cancer, you will find a woman without her breast,’ one of the community members stated. Another community member said: ‘A woman without a uterus is no longer a woman.’ This trend and perception is not unique to Uganda.

Another research in Tanzania found that women were equally going through a lot of trauma due to abandonment. ‘I met one lady who told me that her husband had run away from her, saying that she resembles the devil because she had only one breast,’ a patient narrated to researcher Mackenzie N Abraham.

Another patient said: ‘The men say that we get this disease because we refused to breastfeed their children. Others say that we get it because we stopped bearing children early. We suffer a lot because they call us all sorts of names .’

Police in Mityana District are investigating a tragic incident in which a 32-year-old mechanic allegedly murdered his former lover before taking his own life.

The victim, Sandra Namulondo, a 28-year-old nursery teacher at Kisa Kyamukama Nursery and Primary School in Konde Village, Bulera Sub-county, was reportedly ambushed by her ex-boyfriend, Gerald Musoke, on her way home after attending a school party on Sunday evening.

According to police, Musoke inflicted deep cuts on Namulondo, leaving her to bleed to death.

‘As police, we strongly condemn this cruel act. The man could have used appropriate means to win his girlfriend’s heart again instead of deciding to kill her, which has also left him dead,’ Wamala Regional Police spokesperson Racheal Kawala said on Monday.

Preliminary investigations show that the couple separated in December 2024 following misunderstandings over undisclosed issues.

Since then, Musoke had reportedly been begging Namulondo for forgiveness, but she rejected his advances.

After the attack, Musoke fled the scene and was later found unconscious at his home after allegedly ingesting poison. Police rushed him to Mityana General Hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The double tragedy has left residents of Konde Village in shock, with many calling for stronger interventions to address rising cases of domestic violence and intimate partner killings.

According to the 2024 Annual Police Crime Report, Uganda recorded 4,329 murder cases out of 218,715 total cases reported to police.

Of these, 326 were murder by stabbing, marking a 2 percent increase from the previous year.

The report lists Rwizi Region as recording the highest number of homicide cases (356), followed by Albertine (323), North Kyoga (263), Rwenzori West (232), and Wamala, where Mityana falls, with 220 cases.

Police said investigations are ongoing to establish what exactly triggered Musoke’s violent act.

In my neighbourhood, a few high-rise buildings are springing up. They all have balconies, a sign that they are residential blocks. From a distance, they form a chequered pattern against the sky.

Yet I rarely see anyone sitting out on those balconies. The wind that once carried quiet thought as someone stirred their morning chai, eating roasted ground nuts and admiring the scenery, now only dries laundry.

The spaces meant to host private conversations, where forgiveness is sought or counsel is given, are now filled with broken furniture and old toys-things no longer needed. On some, small sigiris and bags of charcoal darken the walls, painting traces of daily survival where leisure was once imagined.

Sometimes I wonder if these balconies are mirrors of our lives; open spaces that once carried our aspirations but now echo only our absence. We build homes with views so that our eyes can escape the walls that hold us during the day, yet those horizons are lost to darkness, because we leave before dawn and return after dusk. We buy furniture for comfort, and yet spend our evenings elsewhere, in traffic, on phones, in worry.

It is comfort without presence, emptiness neatly adorned. Comfort has become the stranger we invite into our homes, the one that mocks our absence with unwrinkled cushions and untouched chairs, that we pay people to clean because they gather dust anyway.

Our bedrooms are sanctuaries, each master bedroom designed to look like it has mastered rest. The beds are measured by the inches, fitted with spring mattresses and grand headboards. We make them with white linen and fluffy pillows, dressing them in matching bedspreads to set the mood for sleep, that sacred moment when the body rebuilds itself for the next day.

But when it’s time to sleep, we are somewhere else, scrolling on our phones, catching a drink, watching a movie, or sitting before the laptop with the office we carried home. Maybe this is what Abraham Maslow was trying to teach us, that once our basic needs are met, life asks for something deeper.

After we have built comfort and security, and been able to provide food, shelter, and safety, we may find ourselves stalling halfway up the ladder, unsure how to climb towards the apex of belonging, meaning, and peace. The lower rungs of the ladder require us to gather from the outside, yet as we reach self-actualisation, we must look inward to sustain what we have gathered with our presence.

Presence has now become the one thing we cannot afford because we have spent so long decorating our lives to express ourselves, forgetting that expression without presence is only performance. And so, when absence owns the things we buy, luxury becomes decoration.

The cars are still polished, the linen still white, the bed still grand, the balcony still framed against the sky, yet we are nowhere to behold them. Perhaps to make progress up the ladder, we must stop reaching outward and begin going inward. Sit longer on our couches, eat dinner at the dinner table, call our friends instead of scrolling past their photos on our phones.

The journey upward is not about acquiring more but about returning to ourselves. Going in is how we afford presence-the invisible wealth that builds belonging, peace, and meaning. The impact of these small restorations of living on public health is immeasurable. It lives in the presence we bring to our lives, our meals, and one another.

The Democratic Party (DP), which was once a dominant political party in Masaka, has this time round failed to front candidates in the Masaka City constituencies, completely losing its grip on the area.

The three constituencies of Masaka City, which include Kimaanya-Kaboonera, Nyendo-Mukungwe, and Masaka City Woman MP, are being contested for by the Opposition National Unity Platform (NUP ) party and National Resistance Movement (NRM), and the newly-created Democratic Front (DF). There is also one independent candidate who is NUP-leaning.

The 10 parliamentary candidates nominated in Masaka City include Racheal Nakitende (NRM), Gyaviira Lubowa Ssebina (NUP), both seeking to unseat Mathias Mpuuga of DF who is seeking a fourth term as Nyendo -Mukungwe MP. In Kimaanya-Kaboonera Municipality, three candidates are in the race.

Mr Robert Asiimwe (NRM) and Mr Patrick Kuteesa of NUP seek to unseat the incumbent, Dr Abed Bwanika of DF, who is seeking another term in Parliament. The Masaka City Woman MP race attracted four candidates. They are NRM’s Justine Namere, incumbent Juliet Kakande of DF, NUP’s Rose Nalubowa, and independent Sauyah Nanyonga. Mr Denis Lukanga Majwala, the DP spokesperson in Masaka, said the party failed to field candidates for MP seats because some members in the area recently crossed to other Opposition parties.

‘So, we could not get substitutes to replace them easily, thus deciding to shun the parliamentary race in Masaka City and concentrate on other areas. However, we managed to have Ms Mary Babirye Kabanada, former Masaka City Woman MP nominated for the Masaka District Woman MP seat and the incumbent for Bukoto Central constituency, Richard Ssebamala, both are standing on our ticket. We are going to support them to ensure they get these seats and use them as a base to reclaim the party’s lost glory in the region,’ he said.

DP did not field candidates in more than 16 local government positions in Masaka City. But Mr Dick Lukyamuzi, a representative of Greater Masaka on DP’s National Executive Committee (NEC), however downplayed the party’s shrinking support in the area. He insisted that DP is still strong and dominant in the Greater Masaka area because the party fielded candidates at various local council levels in Masaka, Kyotera, Bukomansimbi and Kalungu.

He, however, admitted that they failed to get candidates in Masaka City and districts of Rakai, Lyantonde, Sembabule and Kalangala. ‘We did not get leaders in Masaka City during the previous General Election [2021] and this has made it hard for us to penetrate the city.

But we are building the party strength again and if our flagbearer for Nyendo-Mukungwe Municipality mayoral seat [Denis Majwala] wins, he will help us rejuvenate the party in the city and we have hope that it’s going to be the same in other areas where we have managed to field candidates,’ Mr Lukyamuzi added. During the 2021 General Election, DP candidates won only two chairpersons’ seats in Masaka District’s sub-counties of Kyesiga and Buwunga and the Bukoto Central MP seat.

Before the 2021 polls, DP used to front candidates at almost every position in Masaka and recorded several victories. During the recent nomination of district and municipality candidates DP only fronted two out of the 18 candidates contesting for city and municipality mayoral races.

These include Denis Lukanga Majwala who is vying for Nyendo-Mukungwe mayoral seat and Samson Kisekka who was nominated to contest in Kimaanya-Kabonera Municipality. DP has grappled with several challenges from the time it was founded nearly 70 years ago. Some of these challenges include internal and external disputes. For instance, in June, the party held its delegates conference in Mbarara City to change leadership, but the conference ended in chaos even though party President Norbert Mao and other leaders retained their seats.

Ms Zahara Nalubyayi ,a former DP supporter and a Masaka City Council councillor, who is currently contesting for Bukuto East MP seat, said voters lost interest in DP due to long standing internal conflicts .

She added that the situation worsened when the top DP leadership entered a cooperation agreement with the ruling NRM party in 2022.

‘I personally exited DP because…we were betrayed by our leaders and decided to leave them to dine with NRM,’ Mr Musa Matovu Kigongo, the NUP spokesperson for Bukomansimbi District, said, concurring with Ms Nalubyayi. Historically, Masaka is known to be DP’s stronghold since one of its founders, Benedict Kiwanuka, is a son of the soil. But in the lead-up to 2021 General Election, the party started losing ground as several members defected to NUP.

During the same period, almost all DP candidates in Masaka and other parts of Buganda Sub-region also designed their campaign posters with either NUP or People Power logos associating themselves with the then NUP presidential candidate Mr Robert Kyagulanyi who they had considerable support in the sub-region.

During the 2021 polls, DP won nine parliamentary seats. But that number has since dropped after Fortunate Rose Natongo (Kyotera District Woman MP), John Paul Mpalanyi (Kyotera County), and Paul Lutamaguzi (Nakaseke South) a crossed to NUP, saying DP had lost direction. Meanwhile, Buikwe South MP Michael Philip Lulume Bayigga crossed to People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) in July.

The East African Community (EAC) has deployed an Election Observation Mission (EOM) to Tanzania ahead of the country’s General Election scheduled for October 29, 2025.

The deployment follows a directive from the EAC Council of Ministers, requiring the Secretariat to observe elections across all Partner States in a move that underscores the regional bloc’s commitment to promoting democracy, peace, and stability in East Africa.

The Mission is being led by former Vice President of Uganda and a prominent advocate for public health and gender equality, Dr Speciosa Wandira Kazibwe. Dr Kazibwe also previously held the position of UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa.

‘As a Community founded on the principles of good governance, rule of law, and respect for human rights, the EAC regards credible elections as the cornerstone of democracy and regional integration,’ Dr Kazibwe said during the flag-off ceremony held on October 24, 2025, at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha.

The Mission comprises 67 experts drawn from all Partner States, including Members of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), officials from National Electoral Commissions, Human Rights Commissions, Civil Society Organisations, and the EAC Secretariat.

Observers have been dispatched across different regions of Tanzania to assess the electoral process in line with national laws, the EAC Principles for Election Observation and Evaluation, and other international standards.

EAC Secretary General Veronica Nduva said the Mission will issue a preliminary report shortly after the polls, followed by a comprehensive final report with recommendations aimed at strengthening future electoral processes within the region.

‘Our observers will engage with key stakeholders, monitor campaign activities, and observe polling, counting, and the transmission of results to ensure transparency and credibility,’ she said.

The Deputy Head of Mission, Maina Karobia, a Member of the East African Legislative Assembly, stressed that the EAC team’s role is strictly impartial.

‘We are here in solidarity with the people of Tanzania – not to interfere, but to observe and report objectively,’ he said, urging all electoral actors to uphold peace and integrity during the polls.

The EAC’s deployment complements similar initiatives by other regional and international organisations, including the African Union (AU), Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the Commonwealth, all of which have sent observer missions to Tanzania.

Grounded in Article 6(d) of the EAC Treaty, the Mission reinforces Partner States’ commitment to democratic governance, accountability, gender equality, and human rights – key values enshrined in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

The hotel where National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, is staying in Lira City has been raided by security forces.

Tembo Trek Courts, located in Lira City, West Division, was surrounded by military and police officers who reportedly broke into several rooms and pepper-sprayed occupants, including hotel staff and Mr Kyagulanyi.

According to sources inside the hotel, the security personnel began the raid at around 9:30 pm

‘Many of the people have been sprayed by the police, but when Bobi Wine came out of his room, they ran away,’ one of the sources said.

Bobi Wine’s aide, Daniel Oyerwot, confirmed that the team had returned to Lira to rest after being blocked from proceeding to Atuke, where they were scheduled to hold their final rally of the day.

‘We were blocked from proceeding to Atuke, where we were supposed to hold our final rally. We came back to Lira to sleep and wait for our next campaign day,’ Oyerwot said.

‘All we heard at around 9:30 p.m. were loud bangs as doors were being broken. We knew they were looking for the President. When he came out, they all left.’

Just before the raid, Bobi Wine’s producer and close associate, Dan Magic was reportedly attacked and assaulted by the commanding officer of the operation, identified as Moses Mukiibi.

He sustained injuries during the scuffle.

“Our hotel in Lira City has been raided by the police and military commanded by one Moses Mukiibi. They’re currently breaking into the rooms,” Mr Kyagulanyi posted on X.

In a live TikTok video, Mr Kyagulanyi is heard asking why police had pepper-sprayed his room.

“Why have you pepper-sprayed us? Why have you teargassed my room? You know what you’re doing is illegal,” Mr Kyagulanyi is heard saying before another person is heard asking him to open the window “to allow fresh air in.”

“No, I’m not opening it.”

By press time, details about arrests or the motive of the operation remained unclear, and police had not issued an official statement on the incident.

However, videos and photos widely shared on social media show shattered windows and pieces of broken glass on the floor of several hotel rooms.

Sports is woven into the tapestry of Uganda. It is a national pastime that keeps people entertained as they cheer on teams and athletes they support in various types of sports.

Uganda’s teams and individual athletes that participate in various types of sports are a source of national pride, with every achievement, win, medal, and trophy boosting our self-esteem as Ugandans.

Few events elicit an outpouring of nationalism in Uganda like sports does, with multitudes proudly displaying the national flag, dressing up in the national colours, and flocking to sports facilities to support the country’s teams and athletes. Sports events foster unity among the different ethnic, religious, racial, and political groups that the country is comprised of.

As the different peoples rally behind the country’s sports teams, national cohesion is improved, spurring peace and development. However, besides being a source of entertainment and a unifier, sports can contribute much more to the growth of the country, propelling it to greater heights.

To gain more from sports, the government should invest more funds into building sports facilities, academies, training sports scientists, among others. Through this, the country will be able to produce world-class athletes such as footballers who have the potential of being hired by European soccer leagues that pay players highly. These players will remit this money back to the country, thereby increasing the country’s foreign exchange earnings.

A vibrant sports sector can also provide jobs within the country, employing people such as those directly participating in playing the games, coaches, referees, administrators, health workers, and journalists, among others. This can help resolve the unemployment crisis that the country is facing. Direct participation in sports by the public can improve health, keeping diseases such as hypertension and diabetes at bay. Physical activities such as sports are a cost-effective health intervention.

Engaging in sports boosts mental health by providing relief from stress and anxiety. Sport also teaches teamwork, discipline, time management, and resilience. These skills, when applied outside the sports fields in our everyday lives, can enable us to become better people and achieve our goals. Through providing an enabling environment, the government can attract more private investors into the sports sector and partner with them to turn the country into a sports giant known world over.

According to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), MTN Uganda and Airtel Uganda together command a market share of slightly more than 90 percent.

To break the duopoly of the two leading telecom players in the country, it would take what telecom sector analysts describe as strategic deployment of capital, infrastructures and innovation. This approach, they say, looks more sustainable compared to trying to out compete or facing the two giants heads on.

For the sector regulator – UCC, a new entrant or an industry player with a compelling value proposition, an innovation-focused business model, and the ability to provide high-quality service and excellent customer experience can steadily capture a portion of the market.

Note that the regulatory framework not only promotes fair competition but also safeguards consumer interests, and for an investor, it ensures a level playing field.

Currently, the two leading sector players appear unbothered by the emergence of a third force on the grounds that competition is ‘a good thing’ for the industry.

Going by the regulator’s assessment, Uganda’s telecom sector is very competitive and experiencing strong growth, driven by not just mobile services and increasing data consumption, but telling developments including the transition to 5G services which comes with speed and quality required for a fast-paced economy.

Nothing is impossible

When contacted, the head public and international relations at UCC, Mr Ibrahim Bbossa, says it is possible to have a third force that can catalyse the sector’s fortune for the better.

Asked if it is possible to dislodge the dominance of the two leading players-MTN and Airtel by another player, a third force, Mr Bbosa says: ‘Yes, it is feasible.’

He continues: ‘Uganda’s telecommunications sector is open to competition, permtting any licensed operator with the necessary technical, financial, and management capabilities to enter and succeed.

‘The dominance of MTN and Airtel mainly stems from their early market entry, robust investment, and extensive infrastructure. Nonetheless, the sector’s profitability, estimated at over Shs700 billion for both operators combined, highlights the market’s strong commercial potential.

However, for a third operator to succeed in becoming a force, the sector regulator noted that it must have sufficient capital and be prepared to invest significantly in network infrastructure and brand building.

‘Entering this market demands a large initial investment, especially for spectrum acquisition, infrastructure deployment, and meeting the quality-of-service and coverage standards established by the Commission.

‘Success beyond capital relies on strategic differentiation through innovation in pricing, data services, customer care, and digital financial solutions. The operator should also pursue aggressive yet sustainable marketing and partnerships that improve customer experience and support digital inclusion,’ Mr Bbosa says.

The UCC persists in encouraging infrastructure sharing, fostering fair competition, and creating a conducive environment for investment. This should ensure that any credible new entrant can compete successfully and help grow the sector.

The market dominance of major players like MTN Uganda and Airtel Uganda has not deterred the resolve of some sector players like Lyca Mobile who are looking to become the force to reckon with overtime. Currently, they are going about their operation almost unnoticed but steadily building their presence in the market over the last five years.

‘We have invested over $150 million over the last five years and we are looking to inject more in the next five years,’ said the Lyca Mobile chief financial officer, Mr Emmanuel Zinabala, demonstrating their seriousness in the domestic market.

Already Lyca Mobile in Uganda is among the large taxpayers bracket according to Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) classification.

With about 300 sites – a location that houses the equipment necessary for wireless communication, and looking to increase market share from currently close to 3.5 percent to 15 percent in the next phase of their growth and development, Lyca Mobile is banking on its pricing model to achieve that target before reassessing their progress in the next five years. This is perhaps why, alongside the expansion strategy that will see another injection of $27 million in coming months, explains why the mobile network operator has launched the Supa SIM at no cost to customers – exhibiting their potential to go toe-to-toe with the big players.

Investing in technology, customer

Playing by the regulator’s book, the telecom operator is not taking a chance with technology.

‘We have something for everyone. In an ever-changing digital world, Lyca Mobile strives to connect people, wherever they are,’ says Mr Vikram Lal, Lyca Mobile chief marketing officer, Africa.

According to Mr Arvind Kakkar, the chief operations officer, Africa, investment is already lined up for proper investment in technology and to deepen the telecom presence in all the districts in Uganda.

The telecom company is also 5G ready and it will not be long before they launch their version of mobile money as they consolidate their data niche and make inroads in voice.

As Uganda edges closer to the 2026 General Election, the Electoral Commission (EC) has begun accrediting individuals and organisations to observe the electoral process, in what officials say is part of efforts to ensure transparency and credibility.

Mr Julius Mucunguzi, the EC spokesperson, confirmed in an interview on Tuesday,October 28, that several applicants had already received their accreditation letters and were free to start observing the ongoing electoral activities.

‘Some have already received their accreditation. We are not giving a list of the observers to the media, but those who applied and fulfilled the requirements have been reached out to and are receiving their letters of accreditation,’ Mr Mucunguzi said.

He explained that the process is guided by Section 16(1) of the Electoral Commission Act, Cap 176, which provides for the accreditation of representatives of political parties, civil society organisations, and other duly registered institutions or individuals to observe electoral activities.

Mr Mucunguzi urged observers to strictly adhere to the established guidelines and laws governing election observation.

‘They must not break laws. They should follow the guidelines that they have, and those that are contained in their letters of accreditation,’ he advised.

In April 2025, the Electoral Commission invited individuals and registered organisations to apply for accreditation to observe the electoral process – a measure aimed at promoting openness and accountability in the management of elections.

Applicants were required to meet several conditions before receiving accreditation, including demonstrating experience in election observation, being non-partisan, and agreeing to abide by the EC’s Code of Conduct for Observers.

‘Successful applicants shall be required to abide by the Laws of the Republic of Uganda, should be non-partisan, should comply with election observers’ guidelines and Code of Conduct to be issued by the Electoral Commission, in the case of organisations and institutions, provide the Commission with names of the individuals to be accredited, meet all their operational expenses and be in position to submit a comprehensive report at the end of the election exercise,’ Mr Mucunguzi said in an earlier interview.

According to Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama, the EC Chairperson, accredited organisations will receive written clearance, identification tags, and access to relevant information to facilitate their observation work across the country.

‘Accordingly, for transparency purposes, the Electoral Commission will accredit international and national observers to observe the various activities undertaken during the electoral process. We are committed to ensuring transparent, free and fair elections through comprehensive observer accreditation and engagement,’ Justice Byabakama said.

In the 2021 General Elections, the Commission accredited 2,184 stationary observers deployed at sub-county level and 270 roving observers covering all 146 districts. However, the number of observers for the 2026 elections is yet to be announced.

The EC is currently implementing the Roadmap for the 2025-2026 General Elections, which includes Presidential, Parliamentary, and Local Government Council polls.

Last month, eight candidates were cleared to contest in the 2025/2026 Presidential Elections following nominations held from September 23 to 24 at the EC headquarters in Lweza, Wakiso District.

Those cleared include incumbent President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), who is seeking a seventh term, and his main challenger Mr Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) of the National Unity Platform (NUP). Others are Mr Nathan Nandala Mafabi of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Gen (Rtd) Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), Mr Robert Kasibante of the National Peasants Party, Mr Joseph Mabirizi of the Conservative Party, Mr Kabinga Bulira of the Revolutionary Peoples Party, and Mr Mubarak Munyagwa Sserunga of the Common Man’s Party.

Dear Tingasiga,

Dr Semu Sinagabula Musoke, who died in Nairobi on October 26, was my friend and hero. My love for him was not because of what he did for me, which was a lot, but who he was. Semu was a down-to-earth gentleman who understood his place as an equal among God’s children. Notwithstanding his high station in society, Semu did not veer from his natural comfort zone of simplicity, humility, and service to others. Semu’s death has ended his second life that began in early February 1980. That was the time that he recovered from a near-death encounter with one of the deadliest human disease-causing agents known to medical scientists. Dr Musoke had been infected by the virus on January 15, 1980, when he had responded to a very urgent call to the intensive care unit (ICU) at the Nairobi Hospital.

There, he had found Monsieur Charles Monet, a French tourist who was deathly ill with severe bleeding ‘from everywhere’ and multiple organ failure that had necessitated emergency resuscitation. In the process of trying to save Monet’s life, Dr Musoke had come in direct, unprotected contact with his patient’s secretions and blood. When he inserted a breathing tube into Monet’s windpipe, the patient vomited, covering Dr Musoke’s face and clothes in vomit. Some entered Dr Musoke’s mouth. He had soldiered on, the doctor’s singular purpose driving him to do all he could to save his patient’s life. He had stayed with Monet until the latter’s death in the early hours of the morning.

Dr Musoke did not know what had killed his patient at the time. He knew that he had done the very best he could to try to save the doomed man. It was such a striking experience that when I visited him and our mutual friend Dr John B. Masembe in late January 1980, he narrated the story during our conversation.

I had gone to Nairobi to take the Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination (MCCEE), a prerequisite for admission for postgraduate medical education in Canada. Semu, John, and I had spent a very happy time together before I returned to my exile home in Maseru, Lesotho, a few days later. Dr Musoke began to feel unwell on January 24, 1980. He quickly progressed to a very severe illness that brought him to the proverbial edge of the grave. Samples of his blood were sent to world-class laboratories in South Africa and the United States of America.

The South Africans identified the Marburg Virus in the blood. Little was known about this virus at the time, except that it had a high death rate and killed its victims through severe bleeding and destruction of vital organs. Whereas it was named after a German city where it had caused the first documented outbreak in 1967 (simultaneously with one in Belgrade, Yugoslavia), Marburg Virus had been carried to Europe by a green monkey or monkeys that had been exported from Central Uganda, Dr Musoke’s birthplace. I was called by a doctor at the Ministry of Health of Lesotho to inform me that the Kenyans had reported that I had been in contact with a patient with a severe infectious haemorrhagic disease.

I needed examination, testing, isolation, and surveillance. Memories of the terror remain vivid. By God’s grace, Semu and Monet were the only ones who contracted the disease at that time. Semu’s recovery was one of the most pleasant surprises, for he had manifested the features of those who usually died from this awful relative of the Ebola virus. With the accumulated knowledge today, we know that our brother was extremely lucky to have survived. The death rates during subsequent outbreaks in Congo, Angola, and Uganda were 83, 88, and 58 percent, respectively. The Marburg virus type that almost killed him is now officially called the Musoke strain (MARV Musoke).

According to Richard Preston, the author of a bestseller titled ‘The Hot Zone’, in which he gave a detailed account of Dr Musoke’s terrifying illness, samples of his blood were sent to laboratories around the world and, at the time of publication of that book in 1994, Dr Musoke’s blood sample was in the custody of the United States Army. Samples remain accessible at the European Virus Archive Global in Marseille, France, and have been used in attempts to develop effective vaccines. Semu’s recovery seemed to have doubled his commitment to serve humanity with excellence. Describing him in ‘The Hot Zone,’ Preston wrote: ‘Dr Musoke was widely considered to be one of the best young physicians at the hospital, an energetic man with a warm sense of humour, who worked long hours and had a good feel for emergencies.’

That, of course, was the least one expected of a graduate of Makerere University Medical School. Semu had entered Makerere Medical School in July 1971 and had had a flawless passage through the rigorous five-year course, at the end of which he had graduated in March 1976. He had successfully completed his internship before joining the long list of Ugandan doctors who had fled their homeland to seek safer and better opportunities to serve humanity and build their careers.

He had initially faced challenges with getting a job in Kenya, but had finally secured an appointment at the Nairobi Hospital, which was the leading private hospital in that country in 1977. Following his recovery from Marburg Virus Disease, Semu enjoyed a very successful career at Nairobi Hospital and in private practice. He was blessed with Helen, his wife, who loved him and supported him throughout their marriage.

Helen was by his side when he contracted a non-infectious disease that sapped his energy, challenged his endurance, and had him in and out of the hospital multiple times during recent years. She was with him during his admissions to the hospital in India, which included moments of fear that death was imminent. It was a joy to see Semu and Helen in Nairobi on February 17, 2024. Semu looked very well. His sense of humour was as intact as ever. But subsequent admission to hospital, including another visit to India, heightened our concern.

Yet we continued to look forward to seeing Semu gain. It was not to be. My soul grieves with Helen and her children. We have lost a friend, a very fine gentleman that we honour without reservation, and remember with special fondness. Kenya has lost an outstanding adopted son.

Uganda has lost one of her very best citizens, one whose exemplary career and conduct was priceless diplomacy on behalf of his motherland.