Category: Daily Monitor

As fuel prices continue to soar and strain transport costs, the government is finalising new regulations to govern electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in a bid to bring order, safety, and investor confidence into Uganda’s fast-growing electric mobility sector.

Kampala continues to rank among the most polluted urban centres in East Africa, with transport emissions, particularly from motorcycles and aging vehicles, identified as a leading contributor to poor air quality, and the boda boda sector emits about 1.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, making it a key target for emission reduction efforts, according to experts

Mr David Birimumaso, a principal energy officer at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, said they are developing comprehensive regulations that will define how EV charging stations are licensed, built, operated, and monitored.

‘We are in the process of developing regulations that will guide how electric vehicle charging stations will be licensed and operated. Every charging station that will be established will need to be licensed and permitted,’ Mr Birimumaso said.

Mr Birimumaso explained that, unlike fuel stations, which are widely distributed and standardised, electric charging infrastructure is still limited and heavily concentrated in urban centres, especially in Kampala and surrounding districts.

Despite growing interest in electric mobility, stakeholders say the lack of a clear regulatory framework has created uncertainty among investors, slowing down the expansion of charging infrastructure.

‘One way of using energy efficiently is through the adoption of electric mobility. Electric vehicles help us save energy because they reduce the amount of energy required for every kilometre travelled,’ Mr Birimumaso said.

All charging station operators will be required to obtain licences before commencing operations, a move the government says will prevent accidents and system overloads.

Studies indicate that about 28,000 people die annually from air pollution-related illnesses, with vehicles and motorcycles among the key contributors.

The National E-Mobility Strategy targets production of up to 500,000 electric vehicles annually by 2030, alongside the electrification of public transport. However, officials admit implementation is still behind schedule.

About 40,000 electric motorcycles are estimated to be in operation, though investors cite limited charging infrastructure and unclear taxation as barriers.

Ms Margaret Mutembeya, Uganda’s Ambassador accredited to the Nordics and Baltics, has called for a dual transport system that accommodates both fossil fuel and electric mobility during the transition period.

‘Uganda is rolling in significant revenues from oil and gas, so we should not be overly worried about fuel increases or discredit the use of fossil fuels. However, in everyday life, we need two parallel systems for mobility,’ Ms Mutembeya said.

Also, Mr Christophe Sacko, the regional director of LM International, said the country has significant opportunities to use e-mobility as a tool for economic transformation, particularly at a time when rising fuel costs and unemployment continue to strain households.

He explained that several riders have not secured licences, not necessarily because they are unwilling to comply with regulations, but because the process remains expensive and inaccessible. Ms Moa Rydell, the co-founder and chief strategy officer of Green Hub East Africa, said the focus should not only be on reducing emissions but also on improving livelihoods. ‘The question is how we ensure Uganda’s e-mobility transition is not only green, but also inclusive, affordable and implementable in practice,’ Ms Rydell said. ‘The obvious solution is e-mobility. Electric motorcycles reduce emissions and lower the total cost of ownership through lower fuel and maintenance costs.’

However, she cautioned that electrification alone will not solve structural challenges in the transport sector.

Bukalasa Agricultural College, Uganda’s premier training hub for farm extension staff, is facing a severe staffing crisis and security vulnerabilities, threatening to undermine its recent multi-billion-shilling infrastructure upgrade and curriculum overhaul.

Despite its elevation to an Agricultural Centre of Excellence, the institute is struggling with an acute shortage of lecturers, particularly in its core technical departments.

Speaking during the college’s 60th graduation ceremony on May 29, 2026, the College Principal, Mr Gelvan Kisolo Lule, revealed that the acute staff deficit has severely strained the institution’s capacity to deliver quality, hands-on training.

“Our teaching staff is inadequate compared to the approved structure, particularly in the Animal Husbandry section, which hampers our ability to deliver quality education,” Mr Kisolo Lule said. “Some of the college staff who have retired from service have not been replaced, creating massive gaps.”

The college, which currently boasts a student population of over 2,000 learners, has only about 40 academic staff members on its roster. These few lecturers are expected to manage teaching loads, practical laboratory work, and field supervision across six heavily demanding departments: crop science, animal science, horticulture, human nutrition, agribusiness Management, management studies.

Sources from the College Governing Council, speaking on condition of anonymity, further revealed that a significant section of the current academic staff is working on a part-time basis and is not accommodated on the government payroll, creating sustainability challenges for the institution.

The staffing constraints come at a time when the college is transitioning to a more demanding, practical-heavy curriculum. In 2023, President Yoweri Museveni commissioned new infrastructure worth Shs40 billion at the college under the World Bank-funded Uganda Skills Development Project (USDP).

Alongside these physical structures, a revised competence-based assessment curriculum was introduced, placing greater emphasis on hands-on practical skills over classroom theory. However, college authorities note that executing this practical-heavy curriculum effectively requires a full complement of technical supervisors, which the college currently lacks.

Beyond the lecture rooms, the college leadership expressed deep worry over the security of the newly acquired multi-billion-shilling facilities. The entire campus, located in Wobulenzi Town Council, Luweero District, lacks a security perimeter wall, leaving high-tech equipment exposed to vandals and intruders.

“The government and partners extended advanced equipment and rehabilitated our farm infrastructure, but the property remains exposed due to the absence of a perimeter wall,” Mr Kisolo Lule told this publication in an interview. “Both our land, which is now vulnerable to encroachment, and the expensive machinery remain at great risk.”

During the ceremony, a total of 1,195 farm extensionists were awarded diplomas and certificates in various agricultural disciplines.

Responding to the concerns, Ms Mary Aacha Orikiriza, the Under Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), assured the college that the government remains fully committed to strengthening agricultural training.

Ms. Orikiriza, who represented the MAAIF Permanent Secretary, Maj Gen (rtd) David Kasura Kyomukama, commended Bukalasa for its historical role in churning out the human resource vital for Uganda’s agricultural economy.

“The government remains committed to supporting agricultural training institutions and strengthening extension services, research, and innovation to improve productivity,” Ms. Orikiriza said.

“The challenges highlighted will be relayed to the relevant authorities, and the human resource constraints will be addressed over time.”

As an immediate intervention to the college’s logistical challenges, the Permanent Secretary’s message pledged that the ministry would deliver a new double-cabin pickup vehicle at the start of the 2026/2027 Financial Year. Furthermore, the ministry noted that plans are underway to speed up the restructuring of agricultural training institutions across the country to align them with global market demands.

The staffing crisis at Bukalasa mirrors a larger systemic bottleneck within Uganda’s agricultural sector.

According to the National Agricultural Extension Strategy launched by MAAIF in 2019, the country requires a minimum of 12,036 public agricultural extension workers to effectively drive an agricultural revolution and eliminate fundamental farming challenges.

Currently, Uganda’s extension-worker-to-farmer ratio stands at a dismal 1:1,800. This falls critically short of the global standard of 1:500 recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), leaving millions of smallholder farmers without the technical guidance needed to boost commercial productivity.

The elderly in Tororo still remember 1972. They remember the silence first. Shops closing early. Metal shutters crashing down in broad daylight. Families packing hurriedly at night. Entire streets were stripped of familiar faces after President Idi Amin ordered Asian traders who had declined to take up Ugandan nationality out of the country. However, a few families stayed behind, and the Tannas were among them.

Nobody knew then that decades later, one of their sons would rise quietly through business, politics and influence, until he reached the Cabinet table itself. Last week, President Yoweri Museveni appointed Sanjay Tanna Uganda’s minister for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives – one of the country’s most powerful economic offices. On paper, it looks like an ordinary Cabinet appointment. However, Sanjay Tanna, a conventional politician, goes down in history as the first Ugandan of Asian-origin to be appointed minister since Shafic Arain in 1967.

For years, Sanjay moved between the worlds of business, grassroots mobilisation and politics with unusual ease. Traders knew and trusted him. This is how he came to find himself amidst arguments by traders over taxes, over the years.

Early life

Born in 1973, Sanjay grew up in a family deeply tied to commerce. As a teenager studying at Kitante Primary School and later Makerere College School, he reportedly spent school holidays helping to coordinate trade supplies between Kampala and Tororo. Then tragedy struck. In early 2003, his elder brother, Jayprakash Tanna, better known as Jay Tanna, died in a car crash. Responsibility arrived fast and without ceremony. ‘At that point, business stopped being business,’ Sanjay recalls. ‘It became survival. It became a responsibility.’ The family business had dealt mostly in groceries and household goods. But Sanjay expanded into fuel distribution, manufacturing, agriculture, logistics, hospitality, telecommunications and regional trade.

Major companies, including Coca-Cola, Nile Breweries, Mukwano and Unilever, took advantage of Sanjay’s distribution network across eastern Uganda. Then came the deal that changed everything. When Uganda’s telecom revolution exploded in 1998, Sanjay secured a major MTN distributorship arrangement that dramatically expanded the family’s commercial reach.

Philanthropy

Soon, the Tanna name carried weight far beyond Tororo. Warehouses multiplied. Distribution networks widened. Jobs emerged. And with wealth came expectation. Sanjay Tanna chose another route. Quiet intervention. Across Tororo, Busoga, Bukedi and Teso, stories about him spread almost accidentally. A child receiving school fees unexpectedly. Electricity extended into neglected villages. Hospital bills settled quietly. Bridges repaired. Medical equipment donated after government systems stalled. In Eastern Uganda, his philanthropy evolved into folklore not because it was loud, but because it was personal.

‘Life should be about sharing what we have,’ Sanjay once said. ‘When we die, we leave everything behind anyway.’

Elected MP

By the time Sanjay formally entered politics in 2006, he was already deeply embedded in Uganda’s political bloodstream. He won the Tororo Municipality parliamentary seat and retained it in 2011. But unlike many politicians, he approached politics the way businessmen do; through negotiation: patiently, strategically, always calculating relationships beneath the surface.

Inside the ruling establishment, Sanjay gradually became someone extremely valuable, a businessman who understood grassroots politics better than many career politicians. He spoke Luganda, Adhola, Lusoga, Kiswahili, Hindi and English fluently. He moved comfortably between boardrooms and trading centres. Between wealthy executives and local communities. Most importantly, traders trusted him because he understood their frustrations personally. He knew the border delays. The transport costs. The tax pressure. The daily unpredictability of doing business in Uganda.

Trusted by traders

Issa Ssekito of the Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA) says Sanjay has always maintained close ties with traders. ‘We’ve been with him for years and he always advises us,’ Ssekito says. ‘Many times, he has called me after seeing our issues in the news just to offer help. When he talks about policy, he talks from experience because he has been both a businessman and a legislator.’ Ssekito believes traders see hope in Tanna precisely because he understands their struggles from the inside. ‘People can change when they get into office, but what we know right now is that Sanjay is suited for that office,’ he says. ‘He was born here. He has been a trader himself. He has always wanted to help, especially when he was in parliament. The only thing he lacked before was the power to do something about it.’

Ssekito says traders hope Sanjay will rebuild cooperation between the ministry, KACITA, and Kampala Capital City Authority. ‘We want somebody who listens to traders and understands our pain. There are so many unfair tax policies that we keep crying about, but no one listens to us. If he continues the way he has always been, he could do a fantastic job,’ Ssekito says.

NRM mobilisation

Over time, Sanjay’s influence expanded beyond Parliament itself. He became heavily involved in mobilisation structures within the NRM. In 2020, he contested for NRM vice chairperson for Eastern Uganda against Capt. Mike Mukula. However, the loss only served to increase his visibility. Delegates across Uganda suddenly recognised him not merely as a businessman from Tororo, but as a serious political force. Inside government circles, he developed a reputation as a consensus builder capable of connecting elite political messaging to grassroots communities. His role in mobilisation efforts linked to Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba elevated him even further. By then, the pattern had become obvious. Sanjay was moving steadily toward the centre of power. Which brings us to the trade ministry.

New appointment

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives may not appear glamorous, but insiders understand its importance. The ministry controls the bloodstream of the economy: factories, imports, exports, industrialisation, manufacturing policy, regional commerce and investment. And unlike many ministers appointed to technical offices, they barely understand, Sanjay enters this ministry with decades of operational experience. He has been part of the private sector. He understands supply chains, distributor networks, transport bottlenecks, and taxation pressure not academically, but practically. That distinction matters.

At a time when Uganda is pushing aggressively toward regional trade dominance under the African Continental Free Trade Area, supporters believe President Museveni’s appointment reflects growing recognition that Uganda’s economic ambitions now require operators rather than performers.

The business community says trade is not a ministry where failure hides quietly. Manufacturers want protection. Importers want flexibility. Traders want lower taxes. Uganda Revenue Authority wants more taxes. And now Sanjay Tanna sits at the centre of it all. However, only time will tell whether he becomes the trade minister Uganda has been waiting for.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, says the government is devising mechanisms for traders who were recently evicted from illegal workspaces to form associations which can be easily monitored and regulated.

Speaking at the launch of the programme to certify informal electrical practitioners on Friday, Patrick Mugisha, the commissioner for business development and quality assurance at the Ministry of Trade said, the countrywide Trade Order exercise to evict informal traders from illegal spaces, early this year, was informed by research conducted by the Economic Policy Research Centre, which revealed that in the 2024/2025 financial year, the informal sector, contributed 54.5 percent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

‘Recently, we’ve all been talking about the Trade Order. Of course, this is government initiative, and it has to happen because it’s one aspect we really want to see all businesses, governed by some policy frameworks,’ he said.

Mr Mugisha explained that the study, as well as statistics from the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank, show that helping the informal sector transition into the formal space by creating incentives for them can spur economic growth.

‘It is important for Uganda’s economy because of the losses government is incurring from the informality of businesses. These businesses can be monitored and regulated if they are registered under recognised associations like the Kampala City Traders’ Association,’ he said.

In line with this initiative, on Friday, the Royal Academy of Engineering and 3N Engtech Innovations Consultancy, launched the Bridging the recognition gap participatory certification for informal electrical practitioners in Uganda. Ms Annet Nsiimire said the project is targeting bridging the recognition of the informal electrical practitioners because majority of electrical workers are not formally recognised by the system.

‘These are people who acquired skills from job-training, working with people who know, or through exposure. Our economy is largely driven by those people who have not gone through the formal education system, but have learned on job,’ she said.

Ms Nsiimire said documenting this category of electricians will enable take them receive some formal training and to create a database of professionals who can be called upon anytime they are needed.

She said the would work hand-in-hand with Ministry of Education, the Electricity Regulatory Authority, and Ministry of Labour to deliver the training.

The Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has criticized the ongoing wetland evictions by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), accusing the authority of selective evictions targeting poor people while leaving the rich and politically connected individuals to operate in wetlands.

The party deputy president for Western Region, Mr Robert Centenary, explained that although the party supports environmental conservation, it strongly opposes what he described as discriminatory enforcement that only affects the poor being affected.

‘While we accept that it is important to protect wetlands, we are concerned with the manner in which it’s being carried out, the method and scale. We are aware that factories and rice farms that belong to the rich sit undisturbed on the same wetlands where ordinary citizens are being chased away,’ Mr Centenary said while addressing the media in Kampala on Monday.

He added, ‘Not so long ago, these very poor people were chased from their places of work when the trade order law was being implemented, and now, before they even settle in, they have been followed up to their homes. This is an indictment and I think they are being condemned to go nowhere, yet they share the same rights as the other citizens.’

FDC has asked NEMA to demarcate all protected wetlands with clear boundaries that must be publicly accessible and mapped at the local government level so that any person applying for a building permit, buying land, or seeking a business license can verify the status of the land in advance.

Mr Centenary expressed concern over the humanitarian impact of the eviction, noting that elderly people are being evicted after living on the affected land for decades without being compensated, as highlighted in the Lands Act.

‘Both limitations Act (Cap80) and Lands Act (cap227): sections 29 and 30 grant bona fide occupants’ security. Persons who have occupied land for more than 12 years will be compensated upon eviction,’ he said.

The party also asked the government to compensate all persons who built or settled in wetlands under approval issued by NEMA, local government, or any other government t institutions.

‘What the government should have done was to do damage control and prevent anybody from developing those areas. Not waiting until they spend hefty amounts of money constructing and putting up structures,’ Mr Centenary said.

He added, ‘You can imagine we have a whole ministry in charge of housing and urban development, but today NEMA is evicting people from the wetlands. Why didn’t it regulate the development of housing in the wetlands?’

The party has further asked the government to utilize the land fund to provide resettlement support to displaced families, but also to suspend all the ongoing evictions until wetland boundaries are fully demarcated, publicly gazetted, and accessible to all citizens.

The NEMA spokesperson, Naomi Namara, denied selective eviction of people in wetlands, noting that the individuals/enterprises in wetlands talked about have approvals from NEMA.

‘People who you consider or you think are rich, who will put up big structures, usually will come to NEMA and seek permission, permits, and licenses to undertake certain activities in sensitive ecosystems, and when they seek permission, we will give them that permission, but with a condition, and then they will develop. And so, when the time for this demolition comes, we will not demolish those people’s structures because they would have sought permission, and it would have been given conditionally. If they violate the conditions, we would demolish their structures,’ Ms Namara said.

She added, ‘What happens with low-income earners is that usually they are the ones who do the opening up of a wetland. They open up a wetland, put up a shack, live there for a period of time, plant a tree like eucalyptus, which sucks water, big channels, and then what was wetland becomes compact land.’

However, she insists that whether the rich or poor are caught in a wetland without permits or without any documentation, they will easily be evicted because there will not be any legal activity arising.

Last week, NEMA resumed the Lubigi wetland eviction, where hundreds were left homeless. The joint agency operation, backed by the Uganda Police Force and Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF), demolished residential houses, rental units and makeshift commercial structures.

The Enforcement marks the second major wave of eviction in the ecological zone, following a similar exercise in May last year that displaced thousands.

At the same presser, the FDC party also expressed concern over reports of xenophobic hospitality and attacks targeting foreign nationals, including Ugandans in South Africa.

FDC urged the Ugandan government to engage its counterpart in South Africa through diplomatic channels and seek assurances regarding the safety and security of Ugandan citizens.

‘The South African High Commissioner to Uganda should be summoned to provide an explanation on the reported incidents and to communicate the measures being taken by the South African authorities to guarantee the safety of foreign nationals, including Ugandan citizens, in South Africa,’ Mr Centenary said.

The party further called upon the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ugandan diplomatic missions in South Africa to establish emergency communication channels, maintain an updated register of Ugandan nationals in the affected areas, provide consular assistance where necessary, and continuously update the public on the developments as they unfold.

South Africa is recently experiencing a wave of xenophobic attacks targeting African migrants and their businesses.

The announcement of President Museveni’s new Cabinet has revived a long-running debate in mid-western Uganda’s Kagadi District, where residents say decades of loyalty to the ruling party have failed to secure representation at the highest levels of government.

When Museveni unveiled his ministerial appointments last week, many residents hoped one of the district’s elected leaders would finally be appointed to Cabinet.

Instead, Kagadi was once again left without a minister, triggering disappointment among local leaders, religious figures and residents who say the district has been overlooked despite consistently backing the president and the ruling National Resistance Movement [NRM] party.

The district delivered 116,199 votes to Museveni in the 2026 election, equivalent to 87% of votes cast, according to official EC results. His closest challenger, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, alias Bobi Wine, secured 14,992 votes.

For many residents, the result strengthened expectations that Kagadi would finally gain representation in Cabinet.

“We have always trusted NRM with our votes,” said Peter Karungi, a resident of Kagadi Town. “For more than four decades, Kagadi has remained without Cabinet representation.”

Kagadi, which was carved out of the former Kibaale District in 2016 alongside neighbouring districts, has watched nearby areas secure Cabinet appointments while it remained unrepresented.

Sheikh Isingoma Muhammad, the district Kadhi, said many residents struggle to understand the omission.

“I have grown up without seeing a minister from Kagadi,” he said, adding: “We have capable people who can serve.”

Some local leaders urged patience, arguing that the president may still be assessing newly elected legislators before considering them for executive appointments.

District councillor Kato Maria said the election of a new parliamentary team could eventually improve the district’s chances.

“These are new Members of Parliament. The President may first want to observe their performance before assigning bigger responsibilities,” he said.

The issue has gained added prominence after voters swept out all parliamentary representatives from the previous Parliament during the 2026 elections.

Among the newly elected legislators is Buyaga East MP Stephen Twesige, who said residents had repeatedly raised concerns about the district’s absence from Cabinet.

“People expressed their wish to the President during the elections,” Twesige said, adding: “As their representative, it is my responsibility to amplify those voices.”

Opposition figures have sought to capitalize on the frustration.

Ayebale Kanyarutooke, coordinator of the Alliance for National Transformation in Kagadi, said activists were planning a symbolic day of mourning to protest the latest appointments.

“We have heard for years that Kagadi votes wrongly, but this time the district strongly supported the President and still got no representation,” he said.

Beyond politics, residents argue that the lack of Cabinet representation has coincided with persistent development challenges.

According to district officials, Kagadi still lacks several health facilities despite population growth and continues to push for municipal status for Kagadi Town Council.

Residents say stronger representation in government could help accelerate such projects.

Whether Cabinet appointments directly determine development outcomes remains debated. But in Kagadi, the latest reshuffle has renewed questions about the relationship between political loyalty, representation and access to government resources.

School trips are such an exciting thing for children. It is an opportunity to leave the school compound, during the term to spend a day having fun. Who wouldn’t want that? So, yes, most students look forward to them.

In the days when going to the Source of the Nile was the thing, at only Shs20,000, a trip was done. Can I hear the millennials shout? The school kitchen was the source of the meals, so that never featured on the items being paid for. Regarding transportation, the school bus or a hired coaster did a good job and so the needed charge was fuel.

But today, the dynamics are changing. The cost of a school trip per child is sometimes sufficient to fund a family getaway. Imagine paying Shs60,000 for your child’s school trip only to learn that they moved from Kyengera to Kampala and only toured Garden City. Look here, transport from Kampala to Kyengera is not more than Shs5,000. So, what makes the bill Shs60,000, yet they could also have asked the parent to pack lunch for the child that day?

If that does not sound like robbery, how about paying $500 (Shs,880,000) for your child’s trip to Queen Elizabeth Game Park, only for them to visit Kasese Town and Kilembe Mines. What happened to the park? Was it impossible to write the Kasese Town tour? But also, was all this money only sufficient for transport, accommodation and feeding? Haaaa, then the child returns with bedbugs in their beddings and you wonder what kind of accommodation that was. To add salt to the injury, some schools communicate about the school trip a month to the day. And because the schools know how much the children love these trips, they pressure them to ensure their parents pay. What stopped them from including this in the end-of-term circular?

This became a heated argument during one of the Man Cave X spaces, as Mr Newton Buteraba, a financial expert, pointed out the habit. What happened to planning? One wonders if the schools come up with these trips at the last minute. Suffice it to note, school trips have become another business. You could compare it to the development fund, whose money seems to fall into a bottomless bag. Schools’ administrations, please practice the honesty you preach.

Veteran Ugandan dancehall musician David Sifaayo, popularly known by his stage name Master Parrot, has tragically passed away following a road crash along the Kampala Northern Bypass on Monday evening.

According to eyewitnesses and preliminary police reports, the fatal crash occurred in the busy Masanafu area on June 1, 2026. The Muliro singer was reportedly struck by a speeding motorcycle while attempting to cross the highway. Master Parrot sustained severe injuries and died at the scene before he could be rushed to a medical facility. His body has since been transported to the City Mortuary Mulago pending a post-mortem examination.

Master Parrot rose to prominence in the early to mid-2000s, a period widely regarded as the golden era of contemporary Ugandan dancehall and Afro-pop music. He cemented his household name status with his breakout hit Muliro, a high-energy track that dominated local radio airwaves, nightclubs, and communal events. He followed up this success with other notable releases, including Ekikompola, solidifying his reputation for catchy, gravelly vocals, witty lyrics, and vibrant stage performances. Alongside contemporaries of the era, his music helped lay the foundation for modern Ugandan pop.

“His contribution to Uganda’s music industry, particularly during the dawn of modern local pop, earned him admiration from fans across generations. He was a pioneer who brought a unique energy to the stage,” noted a fellow artist in an emotional tribute.

News of his sudden demise has sent shockwaves through the local entertainment fraternity. Fellow musicians, fans, and family members have taken to various social media platforms to express their grief and pay tribute to a man who helped shape early 2000s Ugandan music.

By the time of publication, official burial arrangements had not yet been finalized. Family members and close associates are expected to release a detailed programme in the coming days.

The remains of legendary Kadongokamu musician Paul Job Kafeero were exhumed on Monday morning following a court order aimed at resolving a bitter, long-running feud over his estate and lineage.

The exercise was carried out to obtain bone and tissue samples for DNA testing. The results will determine the biological parentage of several individuals claiming to be the late music icon’s children.

According to Joseph Luzige, the legal counsel representing the children who claim they were wrongfully excluded from the estate, the costly exercise was funded by outgoing State Minister for Youth and Children Affairs, Balaam Barugahara.

“Samples from the late Kafeero’s body will be compared with samples from all the contesting children at the government laboratory on Wednesday,” Luzige said. “This scientific intervention will finally settle this matter once and for all.”

Government Chief Pathologist, Dr Moses Byaruhanga, who oversaw the process, defended the decision, noting it was necessary to put an end to years of public speculation and internal family rancour.

“This definitive test will remove all doubts and anxiety regarding the true lineage of Paul Job Kafeero’s offspring,” Dr. Byaruhanga stated.

Stella Nantongo, one of Kafeero’s widely acknowledged children, expressed mixed emotions about the development, describing it as a painful but unavoidable step.

“This is the last thing we wanted to happen to our father’s resting place,” Nantongo said. “But if it is the only way to solve the underlying issues tearing the family apart, then it is good that it has been done.”

The exhumation drew crowds of local residents, who were kept at a distance by security. While some locals expressed cultural discomfort over disturbing the dead, others agreed that the prolonged legal battle over Kafeero’s legacy needed a final resolution.

DNA test results are expected to be released next week.

In May 2025, the Ministry of Education and Sports issued guidelines for the safe conduct of co-curricular activities in schools, including school trips.

The guidelines were sent to all local governments, head teachers of both primary and secondary schools, all principals of educational institutions, and all boards of governors and school management committees. This was after the ministry expressed concern at the growing exposure of learners to inappropriate, exploitative, and unsafe co-curricular activities.

According to the ministry’s guidelines, schools are supposed to specify the kind of trips or tours acceptable and approved by the governing bodies, to ensure that all trips are aligned with the educational objectives that are considerate to the financial implications of learners and their families.

The guidelines also call for field trips that support curriculum implementation. That these should take place in and around the school premises to minimise the possible challenges learners may encounter away from school.

Proposed sites under the guidelines are supposed to be communicated to parents and other concerned stakeholders before the trips, which must be evaluated for educational value and safety. Under the regulations, Nursery and Kindergarten learners are not permitted to undertake school trips and tours, and the Ministry is to provide strict controls on the study tours to prevent the financial exploitation of parents.

But many parents wonder whether these trips are necessary or if the organizers just plan to exploit parents. According to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Sports Dr Kedrace Turyagenda, some trips are educational. ‘For example, when you are learning geography, you learn about crater lakes, you learn about escarpments, you learn about all these things,’ Dr Turyagyenda says. ‘If you take a trip to Queen Elizabeth, you have seen all those now physical, and what you see, you remember, so it’s good for children.’ However, she has warned that not every subject should need a trip and that whatever is being learned should be within the syllabus.

Ms Deborah Wesonga, the immediate past president of the Association of Secondary School Head Teachers of Uganda (ASSHU), and headteacher of Wanyange Girls’ Secondary School in Jinja district, called for the enforcement of the guidelines to avoid exploitation of parents and to avoid losing focus.

‘They need to be coordinated, not concentrated in the same term, and should have clear guidelines for learners to remain focused. For example, the teacher draws questions for learners before they set off, so that they are looking out for specific information or features, to avoid idleness, redundancy, and indiscipline,’ she said.

She also encouraged the full involvement of the school administration, to ensure the safety and security of the learners and to ensure that learners and parents are not exploited by people who plan these trips. She added that even the information about trips should be shared and discussed with parents, during meetings, which in most cases is not done. Ms Turyagenda further advised the trip organizers to avoid long trips that strain parents, leading to missed trips by some students due to failure to pay.

‘The guidelines don’t have amounts of money for charges, but they guide how processes should be done,’ adding that, ‘If they are trips for learning purposes, there’s a lot of learning in the environment of every school and such school trips don’t need any money,’ she added. ‘So, when people have to charge for longer trips, that one has to be agreed upon in a PTA general meeting.’ About charges for school trips, Ms Wesonga warned schools against overcharging parents. ‘Organizers, who are mostly teachers, plan and organise trips in their departments/clubs/games. For example, a teacher patron of Chess wants to take students to participate in a chess tournament, a teacher of agriculture wants to take learners to Kabanyoro University farm, the history department wants to take learners to visit the Uganda museum, Kasubi tombs,’ Ms Wesonga said. ‘But these teachers should find ways of making trips affordable.’

Parents remain concerned

Mr Charles Kitonsa, a resident of Mityana Municipality wonders if school trips are organised for educational purposes, not for generating money.

‘I was directed to pay for a field trip before I even completed school fees. This, on top of giving a time frame to have the field money paid early,’ he said.

However, Ms Turyagenda encouraged school head teachers to ensure that these school trips are not mandatory for those who cannot afford to pay.

‘If they are forcing every child, for example, to go for a trip, that causes some children to miss learning, that’s unacceptable, especially in the UPE and USE schools,’ she said.

‘Because we can’t be at every school to know what is happening, if you are a parent, you are a guardian, and you have concerns, and you bring it to our attention, then we shall handle it according to what we told you in the guidelines.’

Travel safety

In May last year, the Ministry of Education and Sports issued new guidelines on school trips to protect learners. They include: Travel must conclude before 6pm on tour days. Schools must submit approved itineraries including overnight accommodations and designated stopovers. Kindergarten children are not permitted on school trips, while lower primary students are only allowed in exceptional cases. All trip details (routes, number of students, teacher contact info) must be communicated to police.