Category: Daily Monitor

The European Union (EU) has committed another pound 60m (Shs243b) to the last-mile electricity connectivity project.

The commitment was announced by Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa at the Renewable Energy Conference, where she said that the funding aims to provide reliable and affordable electricity to rural households, public institutions, and the private sector.

‘I was in Brussels recently, and we are going to get another pound 60m for last-mile connections. This is now the newest, freshest news from Brussels,’ she said.

The last-mile connectivity project was launched in 2021 with support from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other partners to connect 87,500 rural households to affordable electricity. Initially, the project was expected to conclude by the end of 2022.

In September 2015, the AfDB extended a $100m to support the initiative, alongside an pound 11.2 million grant (about $13m) from the EU’s Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund.

Ms Nankabirwa also revealed that government had secured EU funding to renovate key hydropower stations, Kiira and Nalubaale, to achieve a combined generation of 380 megawatts.

While details on the exact funding amount and timeline were not disclosed, the announcement follows an EU delegation’s tour of the stations last October.

Additionally, Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited invited Expressions of Interest in July for consultants to conduct an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the planned rehabilitation of Nalubaale (180 MW) and Kiira (200 MW).

The rehabilitation will involve restoring all ten 18.6 MW units of Nalubaale over six years, preserving its capacity for another 30 years, and upgrading Kiira’s hydro-mechanical equipment and operational monitoring systems.

During the Renewable Energy Conference jointly organised by the Ministry of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Platform, Ms Nankabirwa also launched the Clean Cooking Unit Programme, addressing the fact that more than 80 percent of Ugandans still rely on wood and charcoal for cooking.

Supported by the UK government and the Global Green Growth Institute, the programme seeks to promote a nationwide transition to clean, sustainable cooking.

At least 46 people have been confirmed dead and several others injured following a four-car crash on the Kampala-Gulu highway.

The Wednesday morning crash at Asili farm in Kitaleba village in Kiryandongo District involved two buses of different transport companies, a lorry truck and a Toyota Land Cruiser, according to the police’s preliminary report.

The death toll is likely to increase as some passengers sustained serious injuries. ‘It’s alleged that motor vehicle Registration number UBF 631X, an Isuzu bus belonging to Nile star company, driven by a yet to be identified driver, was from Kampala heading to Arua and upon reaching Kitaleba village, the driver tried to overtake motor vehicle registration number UBK647C Tata lorry driven yet to be identified person. On the other side, motor vehicle registration number UAM 045V, Isuzu bus belonging to Planet Company driven by yet to be identified person was from Adjumani District heading to Kampala and also trying to overtake Toyota land cruiser, registration number CGO2532A driven by yet to be identified person but failed to overtake after seeing the Nile star bus had almost reached,’ reads part of the Wednesday morning statement issued by Kiryandongo Police Station following the midnight crash.

According to police, the driver of the bus belonging to Planet Company collided with the Nile Star bus as he attempted to swerve from the wrong lane.

‘However, the Toyota Land Cruiser and Tata lorry drivers lost control and overturned several times and fell into the valley, also injuring and killing their occupants,’ the police statement adds.

Police detectives visited the scene and evacuated victims to Kiryandongo General Hospital.

‘Dead bodies were taken to Kiryandongo General Hospital mortuary pending postmodern. The wreckage of the motor vehicles is still at the scene of the crime pending being towed to Kiryandongo police station,’ said Albertine region police spokesperson, Julius Hakiza.

2024 ANNUAL CRIME REPORT

According to their recently released annual crime report, police recorded 25,107 road traffic crashes in 2024, reflecting a 6.4 percent increase from 2023. There were 25,808 casualties in 2024, compared to 24,728 the previous year, marking a 4.4 percent rise. More crashes were reported during daylight than at night, with the highest number (3,780) occurring between 18:00 and 19:59.

Fatal crashes (894) were also most frequent during this time. Sundays saw the most accidents in 2024 (3,790), followed by Saturdays (3,765) and Mondays (3,686). Tuesdays recorded the fewest (3,330). Collisions with pedestrians accounted for 19.5 percent of all crashes. Rear-end collisions and sideswipes made up 16.2 percent and 17.7 percent, respectively, while head-on collisions and angle crashes constituted 13 percent and 10.5 percent. At least 9 percent of all crashes involved a single vehicle. Other collisions included those with parked vehicles (1.6 percent), objects on the road (1.5 percent), objects off the road (1.8 percent), and animals (0.8 percent).

Around mid-last year, the serene Lubigi wetland, a crucial ecological buffer for Uganda’s capital, Kampala, became the centre stage for brutal evictions of thousands of illegal encroachers by officials from the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) and security personnel. Locals, some of whom had lived there for their entire lives, watched helplessly as heavy earth-moving machines razed what they called their homes.

As the evictions raged on, Nema came out vowing that they would not relent on the encroachers in the Lubigi wetland. The evictions were aimed at clearing the wetland of all forms of encroachment, including residential and commercial structures, as Nema emphasised the wetland’s critical role in flood control, water purification, and biodiversity. Two months later, Nema turned its heat on the residents along a section of Munyonyo- Busabala for extensively encroaching on the wetlands by establishing settlements, hence threatening the ecological balance and sustainability of the wetland.

My concern is that it’s over a year now, ever since the evictions were carried out in Lubigi and Munyonyo wetlands but to date, several houses exist, structures with crosses still erect, a sign that they were among those to be razed but haven’t. The bigger issue, however, goes beyond Lubigi and Munyonyo. Is Lubigi, Munyonyo just a symbolic gesture? Or is it the start of a broader, long-term plan? If we are serious about saving our wetlands – and we should be – then we need permanent solutions, not just one-off evictions. This includes:

Public awareness and education: Many encroachers move into wetlands out of ignorance or misinformation. A consistent, nationwide awareness campaign can prevent future occupation before it starts. Clear wetland boundaries: Government agencies must finalise and publicise wetland maps. People need to know where not to build – and those maps should be enforced, not ignored. Equitable enforcement: Whether in Lubigi, Munyonyo, or elsewhere, enforcement must be fair. There should be no exceptions based on status, influence, or wealth.

Compensation and resettlement: For those already living in wetlands, especially vulnerable families, evictions must come with humane alternatives – affordable housing, compensation, or relocation programmes. Restoration and protection: Once wetlands are cleared, they must be protected from re-encroachment. Planting reeds, building barriers, and deploying local monitors can help restore their natural function. As a Ugandan, I fully support the restoration of our wetlands.

But I also believe that it must be done in a way that respects people, ensures fairness, and considers the long- term. Today it’s Lubigi, tomorrow it could be Munyonyo, Nakivubo, or another wetland silently disappearing. So, I ask: what is the national plan? Are we only acting when the media shines a spotlight? Or will we take the bold step of protecting all our wetlands with equal urgency? The clock is ticking.

The election of the President and Members of Parliament will be conducted on January 15, 2026, the chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Justice Simon Byabakama, announced yesterday. Justice Byabakama, in an exclusive interview with the Daily Monitor on the sidelines of yesterday’s press briefing at EC headquarters in Kampala, explained that the decision was reached after considering various issues but following the law.

‘The law says the Commission can only set the polling date after nomination, so from the beginning, the Commission had not set this date. Article 61 of the Presidential Elections Act, says the Elections for Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government shall take place in the first 30 days of the last 122 days to the expiry of the term of the current government and when you count the 122 days backwards, they fall on around January 12. The law says the polling shall take place in the first 30 days of the 122 days and when you count from January 12, it takes you to February 9. That’s why from the word go, we had not specified the polling day, which we have now set,’ he said.

The development implies that next year’s presidential and parliamentary polls will be held on a slightly later date compared to the 2021 polls, which were held on January 14, 2021. Both the 2016 and 2011 elections were held on the same date: February 18. The 2006 elections took place slightly later, on February 23. The 2001 polls were conducted on March 12. Meanwhile, the 1996 elections were held on May 9, marking a significant political moment, as they occurred 10 years after President Museveni had assumed power. ‘We normally have elections on the Thursday of the week and make the final declaration on Saturday. When we thought of putting the election on January 13, the process would go up to Friday.

Yet, we don’t want the whole week to be for polls because normally, the polling day is a public holiday and its subsequent days. We are mindful and choose to give sufficient time for other activities to be taken, so we said between January 13 and January 15, it is a difference of one day, and we are within the law,’ Justice Byabakama explained yesterday. Eight candidates, including three who competed in the 2021 polls, are currently traversing different parts of the country, combing for votes in order to be elected as the President in the 2026-2031 term.

These include the incumbent Yoweri Museveni of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), who has ruled Uganda since 1986 and is seeking the seventh elective term, his closest 2021 challenger, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, and Gen (Rtd) Gregory Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT). Others in the race are Mr Nathan Nandala Mafabi of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Mr Mubarak Munyagwa of the Common Man’s Party, Mr Frank Bulira Kabinga of the Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP), Mr Elton John Mabirizi of the Conservative Party, and Mr Robert Kasibante of the National Peasants Party.

The President will be elected on the same date as the 353 constituency representatives and the 146 directly elected District Woman representatives.

The nomination of the directly elected MPs and that of their 20 colleagues from the four special interest groups of Youth, People With Disabilities, Workers, and Older Persons shall be conducted today and tomorrow at the EC head office Kampala and in different districts. The EC is yet to set the election date for the special interest groups.

When the Pool Cranes left Kampala for the Ultimate African Pool Championship in Mpumalanga, South Africa, their journey was marked by uncertainty.

Training had been cancelled for a week, and Uganda is still a newcomer to Ultimate Pool, with only Caesar Chandiga and Rashid Wagaba having prior experience in this version of billiards.

The remaining team members were learning on the fly, yet the squad was selected based on player rankings in blackball.

Challenging path

Despite being relative newcomers, Uganda impressed from the start.

In the men’s team event, they overcame early nerves and tough competition to reach the semifinals. A spirited 13-9 win over Tanzania’s Cue Masters showcased their growing cohesion, with key contributions from Joseph Kasozi, Azali Lukomwa and Caesar Chandiga.

In the final, Uganda led 10-8 against hosts South Africa, appearing poised to claim the men’s title they last won in 2006. But a sudden surge from the home side, led by Thami Jabavu and Joseph Aden – later named MVP – flipped the momentum. Substitute Ian Kazibwe cleared all reds but narrowly missed a black near the cushion, allowing Aden to clinch a dramatic 13-12 victory for South Africa.

‘This is heartbreaking, but I’m proud of the team,’ said Kasozi. ‘We gave everything, led most of the match, and lost by a single frame. That shows how far we’ve come.’

Women on top

If the men fell just short, the Lady Pool Cranes were untouchable. They demolished Namibia 13-1 in the final, demonstrating why Uganda remains Africa’s dominant force in women’s pool.

Rukia Naiga, the 2022 African champion, was unstoppable in singles, defeating younger sister Rashida Mutesi in the Life Two semifinal before overcoming team captain Amina Faith Nganda twice to take both first and second positions – earning the MVP award.

‘Facing my teammates is always tough, but winning again for Uganda makes it all worthwhile,’ said Naiga.

Cold conditions test resilience

The championship was not just a battle against opponents. At one point, temperatures in Mpumalanga dropped to 13°C, leaving players visibly shaking between frames.

Nganda opted to play with a jacket, while other players asked for warm water to maintain grip on the cues. The harsh conditions made Uganda’s achievements even more impressive.

Uganda at a glance

Men’s team: Runners-up (lost 12-13 to South Africa)

Women’s team: Champions (beat Namibia 13-1)

Men’s singles

Aden Joseph (South Africa)

Taufeeq Murray (South Africa)

Women’s singles

1st and 2nd – Rukia Naiga (MVP); 3rd – Amina Faith Nganda.

Hundreds of residents, including those from Kasika Village in Rukoki Sub-county, Busongora County South, Kasese District, who were displaced in 2022 after a deadly mudslide claimed 16 lives, have now returned to the same disaster-prone areas. Three years later, many say they have been driven back by unbearable living conditions in temporary camps and the government’s failure to resettle them as promised.

Among those returning are people who have lived in Muhokya Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp since May 2020, after major rivers, including Nyamwamba, Mubuku, Lhubiriha, Sebwe, and Nyamugasani, burst their banks, destroying homes and property. The affected families accuse the government of neglect and delays in implementing the resettlement plan. After years of waiting in harsh, overcrowded camps without proper shelter, food, or healthcare, they say they could no longer endure the misery and decided to return to their ancestral land, even at the risk of their lives.

‘They promised us Shs17 million each and told us to vacate the place. We have waited in vain for years. Life in the camp was unbearable – no food, no clean water, and no hope. We have children to feed and responsibilities to fulfil. We would rather die on our land than starve in the camp,’ said Mr Selly Mukimbwa, a victim from Kasika. Mr Mukimbwa explained that after years of living under deplorable conditions in makeshift shelters that leak when it rains and without access to basic services, he and others decided to go back to their former homes.

Ms Yeresi Mbindule, a mother of eight, said life in the camp had become intolerable. ‘We had no peace in the camp. Our children were falling sick, and we were sleeping on the bare floor. When the recent rains came, our crops were washed away again here, reminding us that danger still looms. But we had nowhere else to go,’ she said. Mr Jockus Baluku echoed similar fears, describing their situation as ‘living on a ticking time bomb.’ ‘Our lives are at great risk, but the suffering in the camp pushed us back here. The rocks on the hill could roll down any time, yet we have no choice. We have seen lines of weakness on the slopes – it’s terrifying, but at least here, we have dignity,’ he said.

Former Rukoki Sub-county chairperson Yohana Muhindo Kidweke urged the government to act urgently before another disaster strikes. ‘More than 100 households are sitting on the edge of tragedy. If the rains intensify, we could face a calamity even worse than that of 2022. These people didn’t return because they feel safe – they returned because life in the camps became unbearable,’ he said. Mr Deo Kule Isemamba, the Local Council One chairperson for Kanyangeya Cell in Nyamwamba Division, confirmed that several residents have reoccupied their former land despite the danger.

‘Their return is not out of ignorance but desperation. The conditions in the camp are inhumane – food is scarce, sanitation is poor, and diseases are common. The government must act quickly to resettle these people in safer areas,’ he said. Mr Julius Monday, a resident of Kanyangeya, said life in the camp had become a greater threat to their health and wellbeing than the danger of floods, since they had no land to grow food. ‘Our lives were at more risk in the camp. The conditions were unbearable – we lived for years in makeshift shelters without proper roofs or bedding. The heat, the cold, the mosquitoes – everything was against us. Even our health was deteriorating,’ he said.

He added: ‘The land government promised us feels like an empty promise. I couldn’t sustain that life any longer, so I returned to my home in Kanyangeya, even if it’s dangerous.’ The Kasese District Disaster Focal Person, Mr Joseph Singoma, acknowledged the gravity of the situation, noting that the district has lost at least 62 lives since 2013 to floods and landslides, alongside the destruction of infrastructure worth billions of shillings. ‘Any alarm of disaster is a matter of great concern to us. As the government continues to seek resources for resettlement, we urge all affected people to prioritise their safety.

Those areas remain high-risk red zones,’ he warned. Despite the dangers, some residents whose land was completely destroyed by previous floods continue to live in Muhokya Camp, still holding onto hope that the government will one day fulfil its promise of permanent resettlement. Among them is Ms Kabugho, a 17-year-old teenage mother who has lived in the camp since she was 13. ‘When I came to the camp, I was in Primary Six. I thought we would stay for a few months and then go back home, but it has been four years. I never went back to school. Life here is hard. Sometimes I wonder if this is where I will raise my child forever,’ she said.

BACKGROUND

The district’s location at the foot of the Rwenzori Mountains makes it vulnerable to torrential rains and overflowing rivers. In May 2020, floods swept through the area after major rivers – including Nyamwamba, Mubuku, Sebwe, Lhubiriha, and Nyamugasani – burst their banks, washing away homes, bridges, and schools.

More than 1,000 people were displaced and settled in the Muhokya IDP camp. The situation worsened in September 2022 when a mudslide hit Kasika Village in Rukoki Sub-county, killing at least 16 people and burying homes, gardens, and livestock.

Communities that depend on River Kere, the water body jointly shared by Kween and Amudat districts in eastern Uganda, are embroiled in land and boundary-related conflicts following a recent shift in the river’s course.

The river’s diversion, which has pitted farming communities in Kiriki Sub-county, Kween District, against the nomadic Pokot pastoralists from Amudat District, is believed to be a result of climate change. The shift has sparked a boundary dispute over approximately five square miles of land, becoming a source of violent conflict.

Authorities in Kween District allege that Pokot herders have forcefully taken over land previously occupied by residents of Kiriki Sub-county, using the river’s new course to justify their claims. They argue that this takeover is unjust and not supported by any formal boundary realignment.

Mr Alfred Chelimo, the LC3 chairperson of Kiriki Sub-county, has condemned the displacement of residents and seizure of their land, saying it has left hundreds of families in his community landless. ‘Because the Pokot nomadic cattle keepers follow River Kere wherever it flows, they’ve engaged in deadly clashes and forcibly evicted people from land that historically belonged to Kiriki Sub-county.

When the river changed course, likely due to silting, the Pokot from Amudat took advantage of this to seize land from our people,’ Mr Chelimo said during a Ministry of Lands and civil society land awareness campaign on August 28. Kween District leaders estimate that the boundary conflict has displaced more than 150 families, with Pokot herders now occupying farmland previously owned by Kween residents. Mr Muhamed Bushendichi Kaptaracha, the Kween District councillor representing Kiriki Sub-county, said the government’s failure to resolve the dispute amounts to a grave injustice.

‘Amudat District is exploiting the river’s diversion to claim land originally occupied by our people. Despite repeated appeals, there has been no meaningful response. The Pokot have grabbed land from our communities,’ he said in an interview with the Daily Monitor on September 14. Mr Andrew Sabila, a resident of Kiriki Sub-county, reported losing eight acres of family land following a raid by Pokot cattle keepers. ‘I lost land in 2017 when the Pokot grabbed over eight acres that belonged to my family. We are helpless. The government must intervene and resolve this boundary dispute,’ he said.

Others, like Mr Simon Muhwana from Chemurot Village, argued that the Pokot falsely believe they own the river and its surrounding areas. He urged the government to restore the original district boundaries. The Kween District LC5 Chairperson, Mr Geoffrey Chelongoi, said some residents in Kiriki have been denied their ancestral land rights due to the river’s diversion. He added that multiple pleas to the Ministry of Lands for a boundary reopening have gone unanswered.

‘We’ve lost lives in these deadly clashes. The Pokot believe that wherever River Kere flows, they have the right to occupy the land. We urgently need boundary demarcations,’ Mr Chelongoi told the Daily Monitor on September 28.

On their part, authorities in Amudat District blame government inaction for the escalating conflict. Mr Joseph Silangwa Sirikwo, the LC5 chairperson of Amudat District, acknowledged the existence of the dispute and urged government to intervene. ‘Because River Kere has changed its course, our cattlekeeping communities follow the new river path. We’ve raised this issue multiple times with the Ministries of Lands, Local Government, and Tourism, calling for a boundary reopening to prevent further clashes, but no action has been taken,’ he said.

Environmental impact, river silting

Environmental experts attribute the river’s shift largely to human activity. Mr Isaac Masaba, a land management officer at Kween District Local Government, said deforestation and agricultural encroachment near River Sipi and River Kere’s catchment areas have caused significant silting. ‘River diversions can occur naturally or due to human interference. In River Kere’s case, silting, especially on the lower side in Kween District, has led to a major change in course, with diversions first reported as far back as 1997,’ Mr Masaba said. Environmentalists further warn that silting and riverbed blockages caused by farming and vegetation clearance have led to unpredictable water flows. This has complicated the land ownership situation in the affected areas.

Call for government action

Civil society organisations have also weighed in. Ms Esther Kisembo, programme coordinator at Action Aid Uganda, said the ongoing conflict has left women and children particularly vulnerable. ‘In Kiriki Sub-county, many mothers have lost land for cultivation, and children have dropped out of school. Families are landless and homeless. The situation demands urgent government attention,’ she said. Mr Hassan Abdalah Byantalo, a lands officer at the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, confirmed that the dispute between Kween and Amudat districts is among the priority land issues to be addressed. ‘Our ongoing national land awareness campaign is meant to identify and address land conflicts like this one by engaging all relevant stakeholders,’ he said.

Background

River Kere, a tributary of River Sipi, originates from Mount Elgon and has been experiencing increased silting due to a combination of natural factors and human activity, including deforestation and poor farming practices. Heavy rainfall and land clearing in the 1990s contributed to soil erosion and subsequent silting, leading to significant diversions in the river’s path. In Kween and Amudat districts, this change in River Kere’s course has sparked territorial disputes, resulting in displacement, injuries, and reported loss of lives.

Landless residents

Because the Pokot nomadic cattle keepers follow River Kere wherever it flows, they’ve engaged in deadly clashes and forcibly evicted people from land that historically belonged to Kiriki Sub-county. When the river changed course, likely due to silting, the Pokot from Amudat took advantage of this to seize land from our people- Mr Alfred Chelimo, LC3 chairperson of Kiriki sub-county.

The air in Kitende was thick with defiance, but it was Power Dynamos who slithered away with a 2-1 victory, leaving Vipers SC staring at a cliff.

The first leg of the Caf Champions League second preliminary round was a tale of grit, guile, and a cruel own goal by Derrick Ndahiro that handed the Zambians a slender but significant edge.

Now, as the Venoms prepare for Friday’s return leg in Kitwe, the task is stark: a 2-0 win, or better, to reach the group stages.

Yunus Sentamu’s early second-half strike had briefly ignited St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende.

For a heartbeat, hope surged through the stands, bolstered by the Vipers’ defiance against Fufa’s recently reversed league reforms.

But Moses Sumah’s swift reply and Ndahiro’s fateful deflection doused the flames, leaving the home side to chase the game in vain.

All to play for

Jacky Ivan Minnaert, Vipers’ Belgian tactician, radiates belief despite the setback.

‘We are Venoms, we are Vipers,’ he declared, his words laced with the kind of stubborn optimism that fuels comebacks.

‘We believe 200-percent that nothing is done. The positives that we carry on from here is that we have 90 minutes to play.’

Minnaert insists his side showed no lack of fitness, pressing high even in the dying embers of the game and chasing an equaliser that never came.

He points to their 1-0 win over African Stars of Namibia as proof that the Venoms can strike on foreign soil.

Defiant Dynamo

Power Dynamos, however, are no mere prey. Coach Osward Mukuka Mutupa spoke of a ‘mission’ fulfilled in Uganda, his team’s resolve unyielding despite falling behind.

‘We could have lost, drawn, or won,’ he said, ‘but we won.’ Sumah’s clinical finish and Ndahiro’s own goal were rewards for their tenacity, but Mutupa knows the tie hangs in the balance.

‘This is not the end of the game,’ he cautioned, aware that Vipers’ venom could yet sting in Kitwe, ‘it’s only half time, but we are a team on a mission.’

The Venoms’ task is monumental, but not impossible. They must harness the spirit that saw them rally against Fufa’s controversial reforms, a fight that united fans and bystanders alike.

In Zambia, they’ll need more than heart – precision, nerve, and a touch of ruthlessness will decide their fate. Vipers must bite back or try again next year.

Caf Champions League

First Leg Result

Vipers SC 1-2 Power Dynamos

Second leg, Friday 24, 2025

Power Dynamos vs Vipers SC

In a few days, Kampala will hum with a different kind of conversation – not the usual noise of polarised political campaigning, but talk of neural networks, machine learning, and big data. On October 30-31, 2025, Speke Resort, Munyonyo, will host the Global AI Innovation Movement and Evolution (GAIME) Conference, billed as Africa’s largest gathering on artificial intelligence. The GAIME website says more than 5,000 delegates are expected – scientists, dreamers, inventors – all drawn by one question: ‘What can Africa make of AI, and what can AI make of Africa?’

It’s a good time to ask. Across the continent, artificial intelligence is no longer a distant tale from Silicon Valley. Yet, sceptics still think it’s all smoke and mirrors. They demand proof – ‘bwino’, as we say – the receipts. Some of the best receipts come from the January 2024 report, ‘AI in Africa: Meeting the Opportunity,’ an interesting collection of real African innovations, which I have mined many times before.

1. Eyes in the forest: Green Guardians

Deep in Kenya’s highlands, a group of university interns built something extraordinary – a mobile app that listens to the forest. Using satellite data, sound sensors, and on-ground images, it detects illegal logging in real time. When chainsaws roar, the system flags the sound, pings forest rangers, and pinpoints the spot.

2. The clerk that doesn’t sleep. Still in Kenya, the Association of Kenya Insurers faced a different jungle – one made of paperwork. Processing claims could take weeks or even months. Fraudulent cases and duplicate entries clogged the system. Now, digital tools scan thousands of claims instantly, spotting patterns of fraud and fast-tracking genuine ones. What once took days now happens in minutes.

3. Blood in the sky. Across Rwanda, Ghana, and Nigeria, small red-and-white drones buzz through the clouds, carrying blood, vaccines, and medicines. These are Zipline’s drones, guided by onboard systems that calculate wind, distance, and delivery precision. In remote areas where ambulances can’t go, the drones cut across rivers and hills to reach clinics in minutes. Where bad roads once meant bad outcomes, technology has given new wings to healthcare.

4. Watching over the wild. In Central Africa’s rainforests, rangers now patrol with digital allies that detect poachers before they strike. Using camera traps and sound sensors, the system distinguishes between animal noises, human footsteps, and gunshots. Rangers receive instant alerts on their phones, gaining precious time to respond.

5. Credit in the palm. In East Africa, millions once considered ‘unbankable’ are building credit histories through their mobile phones. Companies like M-KOPA study phone usage and repayment behaviour to determine who can be trusted with small loans for solar panels, motorbikes, or smartphones.

6. Drought whisperers. In West Africa, scientists have taught computers to read the weather like farmers read the sky. By analysing decades of satellite images and rainfall data, they can now forecast droughts weeks earlier. This helps agencies plan food deliveries, water use, and herders’ routes. Many of the young engineers behind these systems come from the same drylands they now help protect.

7. Smart clinics, smarter diagnoses. In Tanzania and Uganda, hospitals are embracing tools that help doctors read X-rays faster and detect diseases like tuberculosis early. One project trains its system on thousands of images from African patients – ensuring it recognises African bodies and conditions, not just Western data. In clinics where one doctor serves hundreds, these tools are bridging the human gap.

8. Amref’s hunger map. In Kenya, Amref Health Africa, working with partners, is building a model to detect malnutrition hotspots using data that tracks changes across locations and time. It mines five decades of reports and current community data to warn health teams before hunger strikes. In a region where droughts are cyclical and food shortages swift, this data-driven vigilance saves lives.

9. Farming eyes in the sky. Across Kenya and Nigeria, young agronomists at UjuziKilimo and Farmcrowdy are using soil sensors, satellite images, and weather data to give farmers precise, timely advice. Recommendations on when to plant, irrigate, or fertilise arrive by SMS in local languages. Each short message carries the power of millions of data points – knowledge condensed into a line that can rescue a harvest.

10. Voices in the Kampala air. Long before hashtags ruled, radio carried Uganda’s pulse. Now, engineers at Pulse Lab Kampala have given it software that listens to hundreds of FM stations, transcribes speech in multiple languages, and analyses what people are saying about refugees, floods, or food prices. When tension brews, aid workers can respond early.

It’s old tech meeting new code, tuned to the rhythms of Uganda’s talkative heart. All these stories, big and small, show a continent finding its digital footing – using code to solve human problems in its own way, and waiting for no one’s permission. When GAIME 2025 gathers in Munyonyo, hopefully, that quiet spirit of invention will be on full display.

For nearly five years, 57-year-old visually-impaired Abdul Lukenge has earned a living through repairing motor vehicle wiring in Kayunga Town, Kayunga District. Lukenge, a resident of Kayunga Central Ward, was not born blind but lost his sight at the age of 35, when he had already practiced his current profession for several years.

He had no physical disability and went about his work very well, with all the expertise and experience he had gathered over the years. However, in 2020, Mr Lukenge, who had earlier been diagnosed with diabetes, lost his sight, marking a turning point in his life. Attempts by health workers to help him regain his sight have so far proved futile. ‘When I lost my sight, at first I thought that was the end of my career because there was no way I could repair vehicles when I didn’t have vision,’ Lukenge says with a smile on his face.

He adds that shortly after, he stopped wallowing in self-pity and decided to continue with his job since he had colleagues he was working with in the garage who would offer support to him. ‘I already had the wiring mechanic knowledge, but the challenge I had was in seeing the wires and motor vehicle parts that required my attention,” he adds. Lukenge adds that coping was hard because he was a self-reliant man. For instance, requiring someone to escort him to the toilet whenever he wanted to ease, made life difficult.

‘I no longer had any private life,’ he says. ‘But later, I counselled myself and accepted that I had nothing to change what had befallen my life,’ he reminisces. With the help of fellow mechanics, Lukenge says he now goes about his work the same way he did before he lost his sight. ‘When a client brings a vehicle for repair, I ask them to first start it.

When I listen to the sound, I detect what needs to be repaired or replaced,’ he says. Sometimes, he only places his hand on the vehicle when its engine is running and he is able to diagnose the problem. ‘Motor vehicles have many wires in different colours. Each particular colour of the wires has a particular purpose and which part of the vehicle they go to.

A good motor vehicle wiring mechanic like me has to master these colours to be able diagnose the problem with a particular vehicle,’ Mr Lukenge reveals. He says when the problem is on the wires of the vehicle he tells his colleagues to assist him to touch on a particular colour of the wires and he carries on his work. A father of 11 children, Lukenge says he has regained trust among many of his clients, who initially thought he could no longer repair their vehicles as he used to do.

With their full trust, Lukenge is now always busy although he has to share the money he earns with his colleague who helps him at work. Mr Lukenge, who also works as a supervisor at the garage, says on a good day he can earn on average Shs30, 000, but adds that ‘on some bad days I don’t earn anything’. In a month, he says, on average he earns about Shs600,000. ‘Previously, during the late 1990s and early 2000, I used to earn more money from October to December because vehicle owners used to repair their vehicles in preparation for the festivities but now this is no longer the case,” Mr Lukenge says.

He rents the house where he resides at Shs150,000 a month and pays his househelp Shs90,000 a month. He had to hire a househelp because he doesn’t have a wife. She cooks and takes care of him at his two-roomed rented house.

‘I sometimes ask myself what I would be eating if I had not learnt this technical skill. But God is good,’ he says. Mr Vincent Matovu, one of Lukenge’s workmate, says he is being trained on the job by the latter whom he describes as a ”rare” person.

‘Clients bring him vehicles for him to repair from as far as Mukono and within a short time he is done with the work,’ Mr Matovu says. Mr Muhammad Ssendyose, the owner of Kyagera Motor Vehicle Garage, where Mr Lukenge works, says although he has many mechanics in his garage, it is Lukenge, who gets the biggest number of clients.

Despite his current condition, Lukenge says he has been given hope by opticians at Mengo Hospital, Kampala that he could regain his sight if he gets treatment. However, he does not have the Shs2.6 million required to begin his treatment. He appeals to well-wishers to come to his aid. Born in Masaka District in central Uganda, Lukenge, a school dropout, says he was learnt how to repair vehicles at a garage in 1984. He initially worked in a garage in Kibuye, a Kampala City suburb, before settling in Kayunga District.