Category: Daily Monitor

Despair and agony have gripped dozens of Ugandan families following revelations that at least 79 citizens were lured into the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, with several reported dead and others missing on the frontlines.

Seven months after formally petitioning the government and the Russian Embassy in Kampala for assistance, distraught relatives say they have been met with bureaucratic silence, leaving them in a agonizing state of limbo.

The crisis highlights a sophisticated, illicit human trafficking web spanning the Global South, where vulnerable young Africans are deceptively recruited under the guise of lucrative labor export, only to be deployed as frontline combatants or forced factory laborers in Russia’s war efforts against Ukraine.

For the families left behind, the psychological toll is devastating. Many of those trapped on the frontlines were primary breadwinners, leaving households struggling to survive.

“We have moved from office to office, but no help has come through,” Innocent Kato, the co-coordinator of an association representing the missing relatives, told Daily Monitor. “We do not know what befell our people. We do not know whether they are dead or alive. We wrote to the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, but we have not received any positive response.”

In the absence of official updates from either Kampala or Moscow, families have been forced to rely on gruesome social media notifications to learn the fate of their loved ones.

“Relatives of the people killed received the news through Facebook and WhatsApp. We were sent images of severed bodies of their loved ones, leaving us traumatised and struggling, but no one is helping,” Kato added.

Officials from Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that approximately 79 Ugandans are known to have been funneled into the conflict zone via Russia. While acknowledging that an unspecified number have been killed, government officials admitted they are currently unable to repatriate the remains of citizens who died in active combat zones.

The brewing scandal lands directly on the desk of incoming Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde. Although yet to be formally sworn into office, the retired military general has vowed to dismantle human trafficking networks disguised as legitimate external labor companies.

Speaking to journalists minutes after being vetted by Parliament’s Appointments Committee, Lt Gen Tumukunde promised a radical overhaul of the country’s labor export framework.

“We want to check the competence and capability of the person, especially where they are going, and understand whether they are suited for the tasks of the new place,” Tumukunde said, pledging rigorous background checks on foreign employers and the recruitment agencies handling Ugandan citizens.

Uganda is not alone in this crisis. More than 20 countries across the Global South have reported citizens missing or killed in Russia. Nations such as South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, Sri Lanka, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have all featured prominently on the list of trafficking sources.

Unlike Kampala’s sluggish response, some African nations are taking direct legal action. On Monday, Zimbabwean authorities arrested Leonid Koftov, a Russian national, at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare. Koftov was intercepted while attempting to board a flight with a local Zimbabwean man he had allegedly recruited for the war.

According to Zimbabwean police, Koftov was charged under the country’s Trafficking in Persons and Labour Acts. The court heard that Koftov had processed a Russian E-visa, air tickets, and hotel bookings for the recruit. The arrest came shortly after Harare confirmed that 18 Zimbabwean nationals had already been killed on the Ukrainian frontlines.

International pressure is mounting on the syndicates orchestrating the recruitment. Last month, the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU) slapped heavy sanctions on over a dozen individuals and entities accused of luring African men and women to Russia.

An intelligence report released alongside the sanctions revealed a gender-segregated exploitation pipeline: while young men are sent directly to the combat zones in Ukraine, young African women are trafficked to work under coercive conditions in the Shahed drone manufacturing factories located in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, western Russia.

Among those sanctioned on May 5, 2026, was Michel Ateba, a Cameroonian-French national, and his company, Enangue Holding. Ateba is accused of openly promoting the “Alabuga Start” program, a scheme targeting vulnerable migrants. In 2025, Ateba reportedly boasted to investigative journalists that his company had paid passport fees for at least 40 recruits from impoverished backgrounds.

The UK also sanctioned senior human resource officials driving the Alabuga Start program, including Elmir Saifullin, Savsan Yusupova, Anastasia Barysheva, and Konstantin Trifonov, all of whom have reportedly traveled to Africa to recruit workers.

Other operatives sanctioned for trafficking citizens from Cuba, Iraq, Bangladesh, India, Morocco, Yemen, Ivory Coast, and Syria include Polina Azarnykh, Abid Abid, and Elena Smirnova.

Civil society organizations in Uganda are urging the government to move beyond passive diplomacy and actively hunt down local collaborators aiding these international syndicates.

Kenneth Oloka, the Chief Executive Officer of Kyeyo Initiative Uganda-an organization advocating for the rights of Ugandan migrant workers-welcomed the international sanctions but stated they are insufficient on their own.

“Sanctions help, but they are not enough,” Oloka told this publication.”Governments should go ahead and arrest these people’s local collaborators in various countries. These traffickers do not work in isolation; they have local networks right here in Kampala facilitating the clearance and departure of our youth.”

With the economic hardships at home driving thousands of youth to seek employment abroad, experts warn that without immediate state intervention and the prosecution of local agents, more Ugandans risk being shipped off to foreign battlefields.

As the continent celebrated 63 years of the African Union recently with spectacular speeches from different leaders, the clarion call centred on Africa’s unity, solidarity and integration in the age of globalisation.

Against the backdrop of calls for unity and solidarity, however, is a continent divided along national lines, geopolitical intrigues, foreign ideologies, and race and ethnicity.

For instance, in Nigeria, there are divisions between Muslims and Christians, while in South Sudan, there is civil unrest occasioned by differences between the Nuer and Dinka tribes.

However, the most disappointing and shocking divisions on the continent are in South Africa, where nations are up in arms against fellow Africans.

Since the beginning of the year, a group of anti-immigration activists has led street demonstrations in business centres and residences in the low-cost communities of KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Johannesburg, and Soweto in ‘Operation Dudula’ to send foreigners back to their countries of birth by June 30.

The operation is targeting fellow Blacks from Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique, citing a lack of proper documentation, crimes, jobs and opportunities being occupied by foreigners.

There is a possibility that a few Black foreign nations are guilty as charged, but the practice of exercising mob justice is so wrong.

South Africa prides itself on being a “Rainbow Nation’ because it is a diverse and multicultural society. In my view, it’s disingenuous for the Operation Dudula leaders to target only Blacks who are part the migrants who comprise about five percent of South Africa’s total population.

Amid, the anti-migration demonstrations, one prominent member of the National Assembly of South Africa and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters party, Mr Julius Malema, has strongly come out to condemn the unfortunate events.

In a recent interview with Sky News Mr Malema boldly stated, ‘There is no xenophobia, but rather Afrophobia.’

Malema referred to the Operation Dudula leaders and demonstrators as clownish, charlatans and disruptors extorting Black foreigners, because they are an easy target compared to other races of foreigners.

Malema has consistently vowed never to be part of a parochial group haunting and taunting other Africans, just because they crossed to South Africa in search of greener pastures and an African dream.

As Martin Luther King Jnr stated, ‘The ultimate measure of man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at the times of challenges and controversy’.

Malema has taken a stand at a very difficult time for any politician in South Africa right now to confront the anti-immigrant demonstrators and risks losing votes in the upcoming elections.

Lest we forget, South Africa is still living with racial, social and economic disparities because, as much as political power changed in 1994, the economic power did not change hands nor did it redistribute land and capital equally.

Has South Africa abandoned our common struggle of the united states of Africa, free from divisions, hatred, visa restrictions, trade embargos, foreign influence and dependency?

The persecution of fellow Africans erodes all the historical efforts of Marcus Garvey, Haile Selassie, Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Thomas Sankara and Nelson Mandela, who struggled to unite Africa.

Dear Operation Dudula leaders and misled demonstrators, we still have a bigger struggle of ending raw materials and minerals depletion, brain drain and decolonising Africa from foreign debt that has kept our continent under imperialism.

President Museveni has called for a joint report from the Head of Public Service and the Solicitor General on the fate of four minister-nominees whose citizenship stretches beyond Uganda’s borders.

Ms Lucy Nakyobe, the head of Public Service, said yesterday that she and the Solicitor General met the affected ministers designate before drafting a brief, which was submitted to the President for guidance.

‘Seventy-eight newly appointed Cabinet members are present and ready to take oath. One is indisposed. The four others, as guided by the President, were engaged over the weekend by myself and the Solicitor General. A brief has been submitted for further guidance from the President,’ Ms Nakyobe said.

Multiple sources tcld Monitor last evening that the President’s decision on the report could take up to two weeks, or less, depending on responses from the countries where the minister nominees are renouncing citizenship, as well as other due diligence steps.

On May 29, 2026, the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent a letter to the Clerk to Parliament after conducting a verification of the appointed ministers upon request by the Legislature.

The letter, seen by Daily Monitor, revealed that three ministers designate hold citizenships of other countries in addition to Uganda.

These are Ambassador Adonia Ayebare (Foreign Affairs), Shartsi Musherure (State for Micro Finance), and Dr Lawrence Muganga (State for Internal Affairs).

The document says although Mr Calvin Echodu (State for Foreign Affairs International Affairs) holds an American passport, there was no information on his dual citizenship status.

The four ministers skipped the oath taking yesterday. According to the Internal Affairs Ministry letter, Ambassador Ayebare holds both Ugandan and American citizenship, obtained on April 23, 2025.

Ms Musherure is also an American citizen, granted on March 14, 2025, while Dr Muganga holds Ugandan, Rwandan, and Canadian citizenship, with the Ugandan one obtained on November 12, 2024.

Uganda’s immigration laws are clear; a citizen with dual nationality cannot hold the positions of president, vice president, prime minister, cabinet minister, or other ministerial posts.

The same red line applies to the Inspector General of Government, deputy Inspector General, technical heads of the armed forces, commanding officers of battalion strength, and several other key posts. The affected ministers were expected to renounce their foreign citizenships and submit certificates of renunciation to the Uganda Immigration Board.

This publication understands that the ministers designate have already begun the process of cutting ties with their second passports and are burning the midnight oil to meet the deadline. In a June 1, 2026 letter to the Chief Citizenship and Immigration Control Office, Dr Muganga initiated the process of voluntarily renouncing his Canadian citizenship with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

‘This decision has been made freely and deliberately. My intention is to hold a single citizenship, being Ugandan citizenship, which I hold by right of birth, and which reflects my permanent roots, my national identity, and my enduring commitment to Uganda,’ reads part of the letter.

He further informed the officer that he had formally submitted his renunciation application to IRCC in Canada, in accordance with Section 9 of the Citizenship Act of Canada, which allows an adult refugee who has clocked 18 years of age to freely change their citizenship.

The strategy behind President Museveni’s Cabinet appointments has evolved significantly over the past four decades, shifting from an instrument of national reconciliation to a tool for regime longevity.

Following the 1981 to 1986 guerilla war, the initial Cabinet focused heavily on broad-based political integration, bringing together historical fighters, technocrats, and key leaders from traditional Opposition parties to stabilise a fractured nation.

As political Opposition intensified and the country transitioned to multi-party politics in the early 2000s, the Cabinet became a vital mechanism for political survival. Since 1986, women emancipation has been a source of pride for President Museveni’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.

However, his Cabinet of 30 substantive ministers and 10 deputies named in April 1986, suggests that involving women in politics and management came much later in his administration.

At the time, the number of females was insignificant, with all the Cabinet ministers being men, with only Ms Victoria Ssekitoleko and Gertrude Njuba featuring on the list of deputy ministers for Agriculture, and for Relief and Social Rehabilitation, respectively.

President Museveni’s 30-member Cabinet in 1986 was dominated by ministers from the Central region (14), while the Eastern region got seven, Western region held six, in addition to the President, and the Northern region and West Nile only had two.

The Central region’s dominance in the Cabinet was, however, broken when it came to appointing the 10 deputy ministers, with the largest number of appointees coming from the East (six). Ms Njuba was the only appointee from the Central region, while the Western region was dominant.

Fallouts

A review of the 1986 Cabinet reveals that the ministers have since either fallen out with Mr Museveni, passed away or retired from politics. Those who fell out include the late Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere, Mr Jaberi Bidandi Ssali, Col Dr Kizza Besigye, and Ssebaana Kizito.

Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire, Dr Crispus Kiyonga, and Gen Moses Ali is the only trio of the 1986 Cabinet in politics, having won seats to represent their constituencies in the 12th Parliament.

Dr Kiyonga recaptured the Bukonzo West seat after a decade out of the House, Maj Gen Otafiire was re-elected to the Ruhinda County seat, and Gen Ali won back his Adjumani West seat.

This year, the Cabinet has plateaued at more than 80 members, fully solidifying into a continuity machine where core power remains concentrated within a reliable inner circle while junior roles are used defensively to manage regional demands and balance internal pressure groups. President Museveni yesterday swore-in his Cabinet, which he announced in a May 26 reshuffle.

Despite previously being dropped from Cabinet, Dr Kiyonga has remained loyal to Mr Museveni and the NRM party until his reappointment, and so has Gen Otafiire, who has been appointed minister of Water and Environment, following a transfer from the Internal Affairs docket.

Among the ministers sworn-in yesterday, women hold 41 Cabinet seats out of the total, an increase from 36 in the 2021/2024 Cabinet, and representing a 6 percent rise.

Of the 32 senior positions, including the vice president, prime minister, and Cabinet ministers, women occupy 11 slots, a slight dip from 13 in the 2021/2024 Cabinet.

On the flip side, women now outnumber men among the State ministers, taking 30 out of 51 positions, up from 23 in the previous government.

Buganda emerged as the biggest beneficiary of yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony at State House, Entebbe, taking 21 of the 83 slots, making up 25 percent of the Cabinet.

Of the 30 full ministers named, Buganda got four substantive slots, including Gen Edward Katumba Wamala, who was moved from Works and Transport to Public Service; Ms Minsa Kabanda for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, Ms Judith Nabakooba for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, and Sam Mayanja, formerly State minister for Lands, who was elevated to Attorney General.

The rest of the 17 appointees from Buganda and the wider Central region are ministers of State. New entrants include Desire Muhooza for Agriculture, Robert Migadde for Fisheries, Cissy Mulondo for Finance (General Duties), and Amina Mukalazi for Finance (Privatisation and Investment).

Others are Shartsi Kutesa Musherure for Finance (Microfinance), Justine Nameere for Local Government, Suzan Nakawuki Nsambu for Tourism and Antiquities, Kiryowa Kiwanuka for Defence, and Dr Lawrence Muganga for Internal Affairs.

Buganda’s dominance

Under Mr Museveni, Buganda once held the prime minister’s office through Kintu Musoke, Apollo Nsibambi, and Samson Kisekka, who also served as vice president, alongside Edward Ssekandi and Gilbert Bukenya.

Governance researcher Job Kiija says this 83-member Cabinet represents a ‘severe financial haemorrhage’ on the Ugandan taxpayer and stands as ‘a direct structural betrayal of the government’s own highly-publicised rationalisation policy.’

He says it is impossible to look citizens in the eye and claim the State is merging agencies to curb waste, while simultaneously expanding the political front bench to historic highs.

‘From a governance standpoint, this bloated Executive is not engineered to improve public service delivery; rather, it functions as a state-funded patronage machine that deliberately dilutes institutional accountability,’ he says.

He adds: ‘Every single additional minister demands a luxury fuel-guzzling SUV, police escort, and a lifetime pension package, aggressively siphoning money away from critical public services while national referral hospitals routinely run out of vital cancer drugs.’

Mr Kiija says the current size of the Cabinet ‘does not make sense under any sound governance metric’, and that while the Constitution included a loophole allowing Parliament to approve variations to the ministerial limit, this exception has completely overridden the original rule.

He says while proponents frequently argue that a larger Cabinet is necessary to manage a growing national population, such logic falls apart under administrative scrutiny. Good governance, he says, relies on competent, well-structured technical directorates run by Permanent Secretaries, not ‘an ever-growing layer of political appointees’.

‘The current setup remains a structural distortion that compromises institutional efficiency solely for the sake of political accommodation,’ he says.

Today, however, the taxpayer is saddled with an oversized Parliament of more than 520 Members of Parliament, a staggering departure from the lean legislative body envisioned during the 1995 constitutional making process.

The 1995 Constituent Assembly (CA) explicitly drafted Article 113 and Article 114 to cap the total number of Cabinet and State ministers at 21 each in order to protect both the national treasury and the separation of powers.

Mr Dan Wandera Ogalo, a former CA delegate, says during the Constitution-making process, they limited the size of Cabinet to 21 ministers because an incumbent can use a big Cabinet to award his or her cronies and friends, the cost implication on the economy.

‘A big Cabinet would be expensive, and the incumbent would use the big numbers to overwhelm the Opposition,’ Mr Ogalo said, citing an example of between 1980 and 1985, where he said Parliament had around 126 legislators, including 75 belonging to the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC), and 50 from the Democratic Party (DP).

‘The fear was that with a small margin in Parliament, an incumbent can use it to bolster his party’s numbers and overwhelm the Opposition. Under the multiparty system, you can have a President with a majority in Parliament,’ he added.

Bloated Executive

Associate Prof Sultan Juma Kakuba, a senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences at Kyambogo University, is concerned that President Museveni’s Cabinet is not only ‘bloated’, but ‘broadens diverse interest, representation and political inclusion’.

‘It has both pros and cons. In Uganda where we have diversity, President Museveni has always used Cabinet appointments to balance regional, ethnic, generational and political interests, which has helped him to consolidate support and manage elite competition,’ Prof Dr Kakuba says.

He adds: ‘However, there are costs of having a big Cabinet; for instance, it increases public expenditure, creates some overlapping mandates, which may complicate coordination, and may weaken accountability as many of these ministers have almost similar responsibilities.’

Dr Kakuba says Cabinet positions have become more about political patronage than an administrative tool to drive service delivery.

‘The constitutional provision for ministers, in my view, adequately, is to have the limit of 21 if we are to effectively demand for efficiency and accountability.”

‘If you observe, moving from 21 to more than 80 ministers, in my opinion, raises the question whether the size of the Cabinet improves service delivery or is it for political convenience? It is imperative to justify the cost of having a huge Cabinet,’ he further explains.

More than two years after a catastrophic garbage landslide in Kiteezi buried his family alive, Joshua Ariho says he remains trapped in unrelenting grief, haunted by daily nightmares and struggling with his mental health. He says he feels stuck in life.

‘I lost my family, wife Justin Mutesi, and a son, Innocent Agasha,’ the pastor recounts.

‘Since that garbage buried my people, they have never retrieved the bodies.’

The Kiteezi landfill disaster in August 2024 left dozens dead or missing when tonnes of waste collapsed onto nearby settlements. For Ariho, the pain is compounded by the fact that his loved ones’ bodies were never recovered, loss of livelihood, struggles to get compensation from the government, and hardship accessing mental health support.

‘I am not okay,’ Ariho states. ‘Every day, I get bad dreams of my wife and child.’

Mental health experts note that the combination of sudden bereavement, failure to recover the body (and do proper burial in line with culture), and bureaucratic obstacles often intensifies trauma responses.

Symptoms like recurrent nightmares, intrusive memories, and emotional dysregulation are common in complicated grief and post-traumatic stress. These struggles affect the general well-being and productivity of the affected persons.

Ariho’s experience is not isolated. It is one visible fracture in Uganda’s deepening mental health crisis. Across the country, over 90 percent of people living with mental illness never receive treatment or required professional support.

According to mental health experts, limited awareness, deep stigma, and scarce services leave most to suffer in silence. For schoolchildren and adolescents facing declining mental health, the gap is even more painful. Many struggle without support, caught between academic pressure, family breakdowns, unemployment fears, and substance abuse.

The new value for money audit report by the Office of the Auditor General on mental healthcare in Uganda paints a stark picture. Mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) cases rose from 468,005 in 2021 to 469,932 in 2022, then surged to 594,675 in 2023-a 26 percent jump in a single year.

Dr Juliet Nakku, the Executive Director of Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital, says cases increased by 70 percent between 2021 and 2025. Young people and adolescents account for 24 percent (nearly a quarter) of these cases.

Staffing and drug shortages

At the heart of the formal response sits Butabika hospital. Dr Nakku describes both progress and overwhelming strain.

She says staff positions at the hospital remain largely unfilled, although staff numbers have grown from 533 to 833, with plans to fill them incrementally, even as they struggle with a surge in the number of patients.

‘The doctor-to-patient ratio is very high. We have recently had only 10, but since the beginning of this financial year, we have had an extra four doctors, psychiatrist specialists. So, we have 14 psychiatrists for a population of 1,000, which is a drop in the ocean,’ she reveals.

Ideally, there should be one doctor for at least 30 patients. The current ratio is almost one to 100, which is really huge for psychiatry, according to Dr Nakku.

‘The nurse-to-patient ratio right now is also huge. We should have at least one nurse for every 10 to 15 patients at the max. But we have one to 60, which is very high for nursing because nursing is very intensive in mental healthcare,’ she adds.

Ms Mercy Gracy Omona, a clinical psychologist and the national coordinator and head of the secretariat of the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Mental Health, citing studies in the country, observes that about 24.2 percent of adults and 22.9 percent of children in Uganda are estimated to have a mental disorder.

‘Conditions such as depression, anxiety, and trauma-related disorders are increasingly reported in communities. Yet despite the growing need for care, Uganda continues to face a severe shortage of mental health professionals,’ Ms Omona states in a statement.

Dr Nakku also says there is a slight improvement in the budget for medicines, but that this is very small compared to the need.

‘We have had an increase in our budget for medicines initially from Shs2 billion to Shs3.5 billion, but we note that is not enough for medication because of the numbers that we have,’ she says.

‘We have been working very closely with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health and Parliament to try and get that budget up,’ she adds.

Dr Irene Apio, a forensic psychiatrist at Butabika hospital, says she’s overwhelmed by the forensic cases she has to handle because she is the only psychiatrist trained in forensic psychiatry to handle mental health patients who have committed a crime.

Patients sleeping on floor

Information from Butabika also indicates that at any one point, the number of admitted patients is double the existing bed capacity, reflecting limited plan and poor strategies to respond to the mental health care needs of the population.

‘Official bed capacity is 550 beds. However, our bed occupancy rate has been up to 230 plus, which means we have a lot of floor cases,’ Dr Nakku reveals. ‘That requires that we find ways of getting people out of the hospital to other places where they can get care or increase the staffing. At any one time, you’ll find 1,200 plus.’

Dr Nakku says the government should operationalise the plan to provide mental healthcare in lower health facilities through recruiting necessary staff and providing facilities.

Drivers of mental health issues

Information from the facility indicates that addiction has emerged as a critical driver of mental health issues and admissions. About 25 to 30 percent of patients arriving at Butabika are young people struggling with alcohol and drug abuse.

Dr Nakku notes that broader societal pressures compound the problem. ‘There’s a lot of stress in the community. We believe, because of financial strain, maybe young people who have gone to school and are looking for jobs. High unemployment rates are another one.’

‘There are lots of issues in families. Families that are breaking up that are not supporting children well. There is also academic stress. The school programmes that do not allow young people to rest enough. You know, the prep starts at 4am. The child has slept at 11pm, then they are up at 4am to go to class. Those things cause a lot of academic stress, including the academic expectations from us the parents and the communities,’ she adds.

In March, a 20-year-old girl, who scored 19 points in the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) exams, committed suicide because she was told she should have scored 20 points as a scientist to qualify for the course she wanted.

‘So, these cases are many and we need to support our children. So, it’s a multiplicity of conditions, not to mention the alcohol and substance abuse problem,’ Dr Nakku observes.

When questioned about cases linked to witchcraft, she responds scientifically: ‘To be honest, I do not know much about witchcraft. Ours is scientific.’

Yet Dr Nakku expresses openness to collaboration with alternative providers, recognising the realities patients bring.

Dr Hasfa Lukwata, the acting assistant commissioner of Mental Health Division at the Health ministry, says according to studies in the country, Ugandans experience a range of mental health issues.

‘About 20 percent of the people of Uganda are mainly depressed, and this is taking a toll on many women. It’s mainly women who are depressed. Then, of course, we have anxiety,’ she notes.

‘Then there are people with severe mental illness, like maybe those who are walking on the streets and so on. But these, we are told, are about two percent. In Uganda, they may have schizophrenia. But what we know are the substances, for instance, we know that for alcohol, we are the highest in the region or Africa. For tobacco, we are seeing a tobacco reduction,’ Dr Lukwata adds.

Way out

Despite the crisis, frameworks exist. The Ministry of Health policy calls for mental health services at all levels of care. Regional referral hospitals have mental health units.

Dr Nakku, however, says the challenge lies in ‘functionalisation’, turning plans into accessible, staffed services so Butabika can evolve into a true centre of excellence rather than the default destination for every severe case.

Efforts are underway to decentralise. Staffing norms for health centre IIIs, IVs, and district hospitals now include social workers, counsellors, and psychologists. Integration into primary healthcare aims to catch problems early, before patients ‘decompensate so severely.’

‘There has been an effort to integrate mental healthcare into primary healthcare. So, if we ride on and we have the finances to support that, recruit the staff and provide that care, that should help even the children,’ Dr Nakku observes.

Schools are another frontier. Guidelines developed with the Ministry of Education seek to embed mental health support for students and teachers alike.

‘We have developed guidelines to help schools be able to provide mental health care within the school setting. It should be able to help u students,’ Dr Nakku says.

Workplaces, too, face calls to address burnout, which can spiral into depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicide.

‘We actually may be contributing to what is called burnout. Burnout is that condition in any workplace where if staff are severely stressed by the conditions of the workplace, they get burnout,’ Dr Nakku observes.

‘Burnout leads to depression, anxiety, suicide, and alcoholism in the workplace. So, if we are going to help our people, we need to also mandate workplaces to incorporate mental health care for their staff. Every workplace should have a mechanism to do that,’ she adds.

Patients with life-threatening diseases

Ms Susan Adikini, a clinical psychologist and quality assurance lead at Strong Minds Uganda, observes that patients with chronic or life-threatening diseases struggle with a wide range of mental health issues, yet medical professionals tend to only focus on treating the disease.

‘Oftentimes we find that the healthcare workers are able to attend to the medical needs of the patients. However, what happens to the depression, what happens to the anxiety, and what happens to the mental health needs?’ she says.

On May 8, Strong Minds Uganda partnered with the Uganda Cancer Institute and Mulago hospital’s paediatric oncology department to train 27 healthcare workers and volunteers in mental health screening and interpersonal group psychotherapy.

Dr Racheal Kansiime, a clinical psychologist and president of the Association of Psycho-oncologists in Uganda, says they are working with Strong Minds and other partners to train health workers on managing and helping patients with chronic diseases to cope with mental health challenges they are going through.

She says this month, they have trained 27 health workers from the Uganda Cancer Institute and Mulago hospital’s paediatric oncology department in mental health screening and interpersonal group psychotherapy.

‘Cancer as a disease not only affects the physical being of patients, it also has mental health effects,’ she observes. ‘Research has shown us that the patients who have cancer and also have psychosocial support are able to sail through, and they have better treatment outcomes.’

‘We have people who will have a diagnosis of cancer, and they will live for 10, 20 years after the diagnosis because they have the mental health and psychosocial support,’ she adds.

She says some of the common issues include depression, anxiety, and emotional distress, which hit patients and caregivers alike-spouses, siblings, neighbours, and medical staff.

Low budget for mental health

According to a new value for money audit report by the Office of the Auditor General on mental healthcare in Uganda, only one percent of the annual healthcare budget goes to mental health, mostly channelled to Butabika.

‘There is no national coverage of community mental healthcare since only 28 out-patient facilities can provide follow-up care; these facilities are thinly spread and are often starved of funds for even essential medication,’ the report reads.

The audit revealed a 27 percent increase in reported MNS cases between 2021 and 2023, indicating a growing disease burden.

Despite this concerning increase, Auditor General Edward Akol notes that the Ministry of Health’s interventions have limited effectiveness in reversing this trend.

He cites five major gaps. These include inadequate operationalisation of the Mental Health Act Cap. 308, which focuses on community mental health integration.

‘While the Mental Health Act, Cap 308, was enacted in 2019, the Ministry of Health had not developed regulations for community mental health integration and emergency and voluntary treatment to fully operationalise it six years later,’ the report reads.

‘The Mental Health Advisory Board and District Mental Health Focal Persons were not fully constituted during most of the audit period. As a result, mental health units in regional hospitals operated without standardised infrastructure, safety protocols, or clear management frameworks,’ the report reads further.

There is also inadequate resource allocation and staffing. ‘During the three years reviewed (2021-2023), only two percent (Shs1.1 billion) of the total mental health budget (Shs58.5 billion) was allocated to the Mental Health Division of the Ministry of Health, which is responsible for implementing MNS activities,’ the report reads.

In addition, Uganda had only 53 psychiatrists (one per million people), well below the WHO recommendation of 1: 10,000, according to the report.

‘Most regional and district facilities lacked trained personnel, medicines, and equipment to manage mental health conditions effectively,’ the report reads.

Mr Akol was also concerned about ‘weak treatment, rehabilitation, and supervision mechanisms.’ In the report, he states that health facilities lacked adequate infrastructure, specialised clinics for children and pregnant mothers, and functional rehabilitation programmes.

‘Only a few provided psychosocial support or follow-up services. Supervision by the Mental Health Division and regional referral hospitals was irregular, and monitoring reports were incomplete. Two hundred and sixteen unaccredited private rehabilitation centres were also operating without oversight, posing safety risks to patients,’ the report reads.

He also highlighted limited awareness and community outreach where only 19 of the 65 the sampled health facilities (29 percent) conducted mental health outreach activities, and the Ministry did not implement targeted awareness programs for faith leaders, traditional healers, or local governance structures.

‘Consequently, misconceptions and stigma remain high, with over 60 percent of individuals seeking care first from traditional healers. Most facilities and schools lacked Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials to promote awareness,’ the report reads.

Mr Akol also found weak multi-sectoral coordination. ‘Although MoH initiated plans to establish an inter-ministerial and technical working committee on mental health, there was no evidence that this committee was fully functional,’ the report reads.

Recommendations

In the audit report, the country can improve the mental health of the population by ensuring regulatory and institutional strengthening, and ensuring that the inter-ministerial and technical working committees on mental health are operationalised and fully functional.

‘Liaise with the relevant stakeholders to have the minimum standards for mental health units approved and fully implemented by all the Health facilities providing the MNS service,’ the report recommends.

The report also recommends improving funding and human resources through prioritising funding of mental health activities within the Ministry of Health budget, especially the service delivery (non-wage) activities.

‘Fast-track the operationalisation and filling of the new staffing structure, which provides for more mental health professionals at the different levels of delivery service,’ the report recommends.

The report also highlights how treatment, rehabilitation, and supervision can be improved through prioritising training of health workers at all levels in matters of mental health, which include.

Mr Akol also called for an increase in awareness and community engagement. ‘Enhance allocation of funds meant for mental health activities within the Ministry of Health budget to facilitate planned community sensitisations and dissemination of IEC materials to schools and health facilities,’ the report reads.

‘Fast-track and scale up the deployment of the Community Health extension works to supplement the VHTs in undertaking sensitisations within the communities. Review and enhance the current coordination frameworks and measures with a view of ensuring that coordination among stakeholders is more structured, harmonised, and more effective,’ the report reads further.

Dr Lukwata of the Ministry of Health says the Mental Health Division unit, which should coordinate these efforts, is struggling with low funding.

‘As a mental health unit, we should have a vote where we can really tackle the big problem of the mental health of Ugandans. Otherwise, for now, we are only dealing with the care of those who are sick,’ she says.

‘But we need to ensure that every person knows what mental health is, how they can maintain their good mental health, how they can work with other people to ensure that they are all well,’ she adds.

ISSUES

Only 28 outpatient facilities are provide follow-up care

In 2023 alone, 2,657 patients referred from Butabika hospital according to patient treatment, opened their files at KCCA. There are only 53 psychiatrists nationwide, resulting in approximately one psychiatrist for every one million Ugandans. The numbers are above the WHO minimum psychiatric-to-patient ratio of 1:10,000.

The medical and adolescent patients, the psychiatrists serve a population of 20 million.

The majority of the psychiatrists in Uganda practice at national referral hospitals, hence not accessible at the primary health care facility level (HCII, HCIII, and HCIV).

More than 90 percent of the mentally ill individuals in Uganda don’t receive treatment.

Only one percent of the annual healthcare budget is earmarked for national mental healthcare, primarily channelled to Butabika hospital.

Data from the Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) shows that the number of MNS cases reported in the same region from 148,005 in 2024 (30.5 per 1,000 pop) by 31 percent and to 594,675 in 2025 (up by 26 percent).

Drivers of mental health problems include poverty, unemployment, family break-up, academic-related stressors in children, and chronic or life-threatening illnesses like cancer.

Common adult conditions (admitted)

The most common conditions for admitted patients are severe mental health conditions, including:

Bipolar disorder/manic depressive illness

Schizophrenia

Severe depression (often with suicidal ideation)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Severe anxiety (debilitating forms)

Alcohol and substance abuse (for rehabilitation)

Complications of epilepsy

Common child conditions (admitted)

For children, common conditions include:

ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Epilepsy

Autism

Conduct disorder

The ongoing trade order enforcement in many urban centres across the country has led to a surge in rental fees as thousands of evictees look for work space. Majority traders were previously operating on streets, verandas, pavements and other undesignated spaces in non gazetted areas.

In many municipalities and regional cities, some rental houses which had previously been shunned, are now fully occupied.

Acquiring space for business is now a hustle. Some traders who were previously operating in makeshift structures, have painfully secured loans to erect permanent buildings which conform to required urban standards.

Rent fees doubles in Mbarara City, Ibanda Municipality A snap survey in Mbarara City and Ibanda Municipality indicate that rent has almost doubled, leaving some tenants contemplating relocating their businesses to the outskirts of the central business area.

In some of the places in Ibanda Municipality for example, rent in commercial buildings along Main Street ranges between Shs1 million to Shs2 million, up from Shs700,000 to Shs1.5 million while on Jubilee Street, work space which was costing between Shs150,000 and 200,000 monthly six months ago, now costs between Shs200,000 and 350,000.

For accommodation, on average a single room which was costing Shs150,000 per month, has since increased to Shs250,000 while double rooms cost Shs300,000 up from Shs250,000.

According to Mr Godwin Tumuhirwe, a house broker in Ibanda Municipality, landlords are taking advantage of the sudden increase in demand for both business and residential spaces to raise rental fees.

‘People are scrambling for a few formal spaces that were not demolished and landlords are exploiting this desperation to abnormally increase rental fees. All commercial and residential houses are affected and some people are now moving to the outskirts like Nyabuhikye, Igorora and Bisheshe, looking for space,’ he explains.

Mr Steven Kazooba, a landlord in Bufunda II Ward, Ibanda Municipality says ome of their actions were unavoidable because the demolitions were abrupt and affected them economically.

‘I had to refund money to some of my tenants who had paid rent in advance, I have looked for money to renovate some of the structures which were affected and that is how some of us have been forced to increase monthly rental fees,’ he explains.

In Mbarara City, some spaces that were previously used for residential purposes have been converted into commercial spaces.

‘I saw a number of people looking for business space. I hatched an idea to convert my residential house into commercial rentals. I have four rental spaces now and each goes at Shs400,000 per month,’ Mr Bosco Asiimwe, a landlord on Biafra Street in Kakiika, Mbarara City North Division, says.

Mr Julius Besigomwe says he had a restaurant on Ntare Road, but the trade order evictions forced him to relocate his business to Biharwe Township on the outskirts of Mbarara City.

‘The landlord immediately gave us notice when the trade order enforcement had started, saying rent had increased from Shs300,000 to Shs500,000, which looked totally abnormal. I looked at an alternative space around the central business district, but I couldn’t get one and decided to relocate,’ he says.

Mr Julius Mwine, who had a retail shop on Katete Road, now operates during night on Kakoba-Buremba Road after failing to get an affordable space to house his business.

‘I used to pay Shs300,000 as rent when they demolished the premises. I tried to look for an alternative space in Katete Town, but here rent has been increased by almost half, a room that could go for Shs300,000 now costs Shs450,000,’ Mr Mwine says.

Mr Cosmas Deo Tugume, the Ibanda Municipality principal commercial officer, advises traders to form associations where they can influence rent or to shift businesses to other areas that are affordable.

‘The traders should know that as a council, we do not have control over rent, through their associations they can influence rent fees. However, the problem with them is that, they do not have associations that can help them advocate for their rights,’ he says.

The trade order was issued by the Ministry of Local Government on March 10 and it directs all local authorities to restore order in urban areas by relocating traders operating on streets and in undesignated spaces into formal gazzeted areas. In the central district of Wakiso, which is the most populous in the country, some buildings which were previously vacant have started to attract tenants and temporary structures have since been turned into permanent ones.

Mr Vincent Kasozi, Wakiso Traders Association chairperson, says rent has not yet increased, but there’s pressure to find space.

‘Getting work space is becoming difficult -which may force landlord to increase rental fees ,’ he says Mr Jude Mark Bukenya, the Wakiso District chief administrative officer, says trade order evictions are continuing in all areas they have not yet covered .

‘We have received reports that there are people in Kyengera Town Council who pose as district officials and bring back kiosks on the streets where they were earlier removed. I have already sent my enforcement team on ground to apprehend those fraudsters,’ he says

He advises the affected traders not to dare return to the road reserves, but occupy vacant spaces on buildings and in markets.

In Kabale District, the urgent need for working space has forced some landlords to increase rental fees by half the original rates and this has left some tenants stranded in Kabale Town pondering the next course of action after receiving rent increase notices.

Mr John Mutembi, who is operating a general merchandise shop in the Central Division of Kabale Municipality, says his landlady asked him to vacate the building because she wants to use the same place to run a business, but he later found out that another tenant paid double of the rent fees to influence the landlady.

‘When I asked my landlady about my remaining months that I had paid for, she said that she is ready to refund the money. I convinced her to allow me to pay any amount in case she increased the rental fees, but she insisted that she wanted to use the rooms I was occupying. I later found out that she had rented it out to someone else at double rental fees,’ he says.

Ms Jackeline Kyomuhendo, who operates a boutique in Central Division, Kabale Municipality, says her landlord has notified her that monthly rent fees have been increased from Shs150,000 to Shs250,000 effective June.

‘I am wondering why the landlord chose to increase the rental fees in the middle of the year. I am stranded because I cannot raise the amount required or get an alternative working space in the two weeks he has given me. After inquiring from my fellow tenants, I established that most landlords are being pressurised by traders whose working space was demolished as the municipal council authorities implemented the trade order,’ she says.

The chairperson of Bataka Cell Southern Division, Kabale Municipality, Mr Ivan Beigumamu ,who doubles as a commercial house owner in Central Division, attributes the surge in rental fees to increased taxes and costs of maintaining commercial premises. The Kabale Deputy Town Clerk, Mr Eric Sunday, advises landlords to follow the law while increasing rental fees.

‘Let them agree on the rental fees without causing any friction and in case of tenants’ evictions, the landlords should follow the law,’ he says.

A survey in Jinja City reveals that commercial buildings that had remained vacant for years are now fully occupied, while developers are renovating unfinished structures and converting residential premises into commercial units to meet the growing demand. Along Gabula Road, Main Street and Clive Road West in Jinja City, several previously empty buildings are being transformed into lock-up shops for traders looking for business premises.

Mr Isaac Nsubuga, a mobile phone accessories dealer on Main Street, said he was forced to relocate after enforcement officers removed traders operating on walkways and road reserves.

‘I was paying Shs150,000 a month for a small space. After relocating, I now pay Shs350,000 for a lock-up shop. The rent is high, but I have no option,’ he says.

Mr Ronald Bwire, a property owner in Jinja City, says all his commercial units are now fully occupied.

‘For nearly two years some shops remained vacant because traders preferred roadside structures. Since the trade order enforcement started, every available space has been taken up,’ he explains.

In Apac Municipality, traders are reeling from the aftermath of a trade order that led to the demolishing of their kiosks and lock-up shops. Many have been forced to rent houses in non-strategic locations, paying significantly higher rents than before.

Landlords are taking advantage of the situation, hiking rent prices despite the houses not being previously used for business. Mr James Otieno, a retail shop trader, says the new rent is eating into his profits.

‘I’m paying Shs170,000, yet I used to pay nothing. That’s money I could use for stock or school fees,’ he says.

Ms Irene Okello, a trader at Apac Hospital Gate, is now paying Shs200,000 for a room, up from Shs70,000.

‘I’m using my savings to pay rent, just to feed my family. No more money for development,’ she says.

Apac Municipality mayor Bonny McClean Odongo says demolished structures can be rebuilt with approved plans.

‘Some of the structures demolished were along the road reserve and others were erected without approved building plans. Those in the legal locations, but erected without approved building plans, we shall allow owners to get the approved building plans and reconstruct them,’ he says.

In Arua City, Ahmed Angulibo, who deals in second hand shoes on Onzivu Street, says he is still struggling to find new working space.

‘I have moved to most of the landlords in the city and in the suburbs of Ediofe, Awindiri and Mvaradri, but I have failed to get any room. Others are telling me to wait as they improvise,’ he says.

Similarly, Ms Flavia Adokorach of Wandiri Ward, who operated a salon business, says: ‘In my search to relocate, I found a room, but was asked to pay Shs350,000 per month, which I cannot afford.’

‘In the city centre people are being asked to pay Shs500, 000 to Shs800, 000 per month, this needs a stable business,’ he says.

Mr Moses Obeta, the chairperson of Arua City business community, says the elevation of Arua Municipality to a city came with opportunities, but there are challenges.

Across the city, unfinished commercial buildings stand alongside overcrowded arcades already bursting beyond capacity.

Mr Bisco Opejo, a mobile phone accessories dealer, told this paper that the issue of rent in Soroti City increased not just recently, but when the city was created a few years ago.

He said they are now paying Shs1.5 million for space on the main street that previously cost Shs500,000.

‘The issue we know is that we can’t realise the rent paid, often some months we cannot make sales worth Shs1.5m, so we operate on losses, ‘ Mr Opejo says.

In Masindi Municipality, displaced traders are also scrambling for formal business premises. As demand for working space continues to rise, landlords have increased rental charges. Mr Robert Byenkya, an electronics trader, says he was previously paying Shs150,000 per month for a small shop, but now pays Shs300,000 for premises in the town centre.

In Mbale City, the leadership has continued with enforcement operations aimed at evicting street vendors and removing illegal structures in a move intended to restore order, cleanliness, and sanity within the city.

Officials insist that the enforcement of the new trade order is not merely about clearing streets and easing congestion.

At the heart of the crackdown, they say, lies a bigger objective – strengthening local revenue collection and plugging long-standing financial leakages.

For years, informal street vending, unauthorised taxi stages, and boda boda riders operating in unregulated spaces have dominated major streets in Mbale City.

While this informal economy provides livelihoods for thousands, city leaders argue it has also undermined revenue mobilisation efforts. The town clerk for Industrial City Division, Mr Geoffrey Mugisa, says the informal nature of street trade has made it difficult to track and collect revenue efficiently.

‘Many vendors operating along road reserves and pavements reportedly do not pay daily market dues, trading licence fees, or operational permits. Because they operate outside designated markets, revenue officers often struggle to assess their businesses or enforce compliance,’ Mr Mugisa, says.

According to him, trade order is directly linked to revenue order.

‘If traders operate from gazetted markets, it becomes easier to register them, assess what they owe, and ensure accountability, ‘he says.

But for many street vendors, pavements and roadside spaces offer high customer traffic and quick sales, especially for perishable goods such as fruits and vegetables. Inside formal markets, vendors say foot traffic is lower, stalls are limited, and facilities are sometimes inadequate.

Mr Ivan Okech, an economist, says that Uganda’s urban workforce is heavily dependent on the informal sector.

‘Street vending, small retail trade, and transport services absorb large numbers of youth and women who lack access to formal employment,’ he says .

In July 2006, at the peak of the Lord’s Resistance Army-led insurgency in northern Uganda, Archbishop John Baptist Odama of the Gulu Catholic Archdiocese visited Joseph Kony’s hideout in DR Congo’s Garamba National Park alongside other religious and government leaders.

Archbishop Odama, who retired in 2023 after 25 years of service, has been pivotal in the restoration of peace and the preaching of peace between the government of Uganda and the LRA, which had greatly terrorised the region.

Travelling to the bush was risky but with a purpose: to restore peace in the war-torn area through advocacy for cessation of fire and eventual peace deal.

While in the bush, he, who was then the leader of the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI), had physical discussions with Kony and his top commanders.

He believes that a lot of progress has been made since the interface, with many abductees and rebel leaders safely returned home and reintegrated into the community, coupled with the relative peace.

Archbishop Odama rejoices but says the one thing that still bothers him is the fact that Kony has not yet returned home.

During the conversation with Kony, the Archbishop said he spoke to his face, questioning when he will return home, if he cares about the suffering people, and whether he cherishes peace.

”When it came my turn to talk, I challenged him and his commanders against destroying human lives, and demanded to know when he was coming back home, and whether he cherishes the suffering of the people. I questioned why he doesn’t want to abandon the war and come back home.” The clergyman told this publication during an interview.

He recalled saying that he was determined for the worst that will come, because his main interest was to get an answer for people back home.

”I ask you, when will you return home?” But to his dismay, Archbishop Odama received no responses, as Kony timidly looked at him.

We set off from the bush the next day, with no answer to my question, and to date, I am waiting for that response. The best response would be seeing him return home. Archbishop Odama explained.

Even in retirement, the Archbishop Emeritus says his heart still yearns to see Kony out of the bush or wherever he is. ”When will you come home? Answer my question by coming home!”

Archbishop Odama and some clerics did not just risk going to the bush, but also slept in Gulu Main Bus park for several nights with children who were night commuters.

”The children were sleeping in the bus park, in the cold, on the floor. Every evening you see them carrying these boxes on their heads. So we decided to join them, feel what they go through and advance the call for peace,” he said.

”All these efforts were to see an end to the war that had ravaged northern Uganda. My heart pains for the suffering children born in the war situation.” He added.

To Archbishop Odama, the guns have gone silent, but the effects of the war continue to bother the communities of northern Uganda, with children being the most affected.

He says the effects of the war continue to manifest through mental health problems, street children, poverty, and high crime rates.

Look at these children, we call Aguu (relating to street children); where did they come from? These are our children; some returned from the bush, others lost their parents to the LRA war. Why can’t we take them as our own? Archbishop Odama wondered.

He added that: ”What if we all become parents to these children, shall we have them in the street? We should all play our roles and support them.”

The Archbishop Emeritus ‘ love for children is embedded in a slogan, ”nginingini”, to mean little black ants. Until his retirement in 2023, he remains renowned among the children and praised for peace advocacy.

Since that time, the LRA has witnessed massive defections from fighters and abductees.

However, Kony remains tight-lipped on intentions of coming back home. At a recent interview, one of the LRA commanders in the rank of a major said he had been weakened, but was uncertain about returning home.

On June 5, 2026, the government repatriated a group of LRA rebel abductees and combatants from Juba, South Sudan, through the Juba-Nimule Highway, into Uganda, bringing the total number of defectors in the last three weeks to 19.

The LRA launched a brutal insurgency in Northern Uganda in 1987, from Odek Sub-County in the current Omoro District in the Acholi Sub-region.

It is believed that the group abducted more than 30,000 children and young adults; some were recruited into the LRA rebels as ranks while others were turned into sex slaves and porters.

Kony, a former altar boy at a local Catholic Church, has since avoided capture. He is facing war crimes and crimes against humanity charges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands, for his role in the deaths of thousands and displacement of nearly two million people from their homes during the violence that engulfed northern Uganda for over two decades.

The Parliament of Uganda will on Wednesday resolve on a matter by the government to borrow up to Euro 168,976,354, approximately seven hundred thirty-four billion two hundred two million two hundred fifty-eight thousand shillings, for the development of solar-powered irrigation systems.

The Parliament issued the notice for the motion on its official X (formerly Twitter) page on Tuesday.

”Motion for a resolution of Parliament to authorise government to borrow up to EUR 168,976,354 from the UK Export Finance (UKEF) and Citi Bank for the development of the solar-powered irrigation systems project phase II.” The notice reads.

The motion to be presented by the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development will last 30 minutes.

This is item four on the order paper for the 4th sitting of the first meeting of the first session of the 12th Parliament, which will commence at 10:00 am.

Other items on the order paper include prayers, administration of oaths, communication from the chair and adjournment.

The project

According to information from the Ministry of Water and Environment, the Solar-Powered Water Supply and Irrigation Systems Project is a major initiative commissioned by the Government of Uganda (GoU) through the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE).

It involves Nexus Green Ltd (UK) as the contractor and is funded by UK Export Finance. This project aims to significantly enhance water access for domestic use and irrigation across Uganda.

The core objective is to increase water supply coverage countrywide for domestic use and support irrigation for improved agricultural productivity.

The project, which promotes the utilisation of solar energy to power water systems, seeks to address water scarcity, mitigate drought-induced food insecurity, and contribute to Uganda’s climate resilience and food security.

The first phase of the project began around 2021 and was anticipated to be completed by 2024, running over approximately three years.

It involves the development of a large number of sites (initially aimed for 687, with some reports mentioning up to 920).

The project is implemented countrywide across Uganda, targeting numerous districts to increase water supply coverage.

Targeted beneficiaries include rural communities and farmers by providing water for irrigation to boost agricultural production.

Others are women and youth who are often disproportionately burdened with water collection and are expected to benefit economically from increased agricultural output, as well as communities affected by water scarcity and drought through directly addressing water access challenges.

The project involves designing integrated water supply systems, including source development, transmission pipelines, and distribution networks; solar-powered pumping infrastructure; installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to generate electricity; deployment of water pumps; construction of storage tanks for collected water; and setting up distribution networks to deliver water for domestic use.

The scorecards from Uganda’s historic tour of Mumbai will eventually find their place in archives.

A commanding 4-0 sweep of the 50-over series against the MCA Colts XI and a respectable return against Mumbai Premier League T20 franchise sides combined for an impressive 5-3 overall record in unfamiliar conditions.

Those numbers alone would have marked the trip as a success.

But long after the runs, wickets and catches are forgotten, May 26, 2026 may be remembered as the day Ugandan cricket quietly changed direction.

At the Dadoji Konddev Stadium in Thane, Cricket Uganda and the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that could reshape not only the fortunes of the senior national team but the entire cricket ecosystem back home.

Uganda did not merely secure another international tour.

It bought a seat at one of world cricket’s most influential tables.

More than matches

For years, Associate nations have struggled to find consistent, quality opposition outside ICC tournaments.

Uganda has made significant strides on the field, qualifying for its maiden ICC Men’s T20 World Cup – the 2024 edition in the USA and West Indies – and steadily building a reputation as one of Africa’s fastest-rising cricket nations.

Yet sustained growth requires more than talent. It requires systems. The partnership with Mumbai provides exactly that.

Under the agreement, both bodies will collaborate on expanding international fixtures, strengthening high-performance structures, developing sustainable player pathways, enhancing coaching and technical expertise, and promoting the growth of women’s cricket.

The Cricket Cranes are already the first beneficiaries.

MCA facilitated Uganda’s eight-match exposure tour featuring four 50-over matches and four Twenty20 contests against representative sides drawn from one of India’s strongest cricket ecosystems.

The tour itself offered a glimpse of what such collaboration can achieve.

Uganda stunned the hosts with a clean 4-0 sweep of the 50-over series, winning by 55 runs, 33 runs, nine wickets and 53 runs respectively.

The T20 challenge proved sterner against teams preparing for the Mumbai Premier League. Uganda claimed one victory but pushed experienced opposition throughout, eventually finishing with a commendable 5-3 overall record across the entire tour.

But perhaps the greater value lies in what happens after this trip.

Plans are already in place for exchange programmes involving coaches, support staff, age-group teams and administrators. MCA are also exploring the possibility of using Uganda as an off-season training base during India’s monsoon months.

For a country where cricket still competes for attention and resources, such opportunities are priceless.

Learning from the best

There is perhaps no better guide for Uganda’s journey than head coach Steve Tikolo.

The Kenyan legend knows exactly what it means to bridge the gap between Associate and Full Member cricket, having featured in five ICC Cricket World Cups.

“It gives us a lot of pleasure to be here in Mumbai and play this type of cricket,” Tikolo said during the signing ceremony.

“I have played here before and I know how tough it can be. The positives that we are taking from here will put us in good stead for the tournaments we have coming up.”

Tikolo sees the arrangement as much bigger than one tour.

“I want to believe it is going to be a non-stop partnership. Mumbai can come to Uganda and Uganda can come to Mumbai. Through such exchanges, both sides definitely get to the next level.”

Cricket Uganda’s Head of High Performance and Pathways, Richard Okia, shares the same vision.

“Our plan is to expose the Under-19s, Under-23s, the senior men’s team and the women’s team,” Okia explained.

“We want to create a holistic environment where every level of our cricket benefits from international exposure.”

That holistic approach could become the agreement’s greatest strength.

MCA president Ajinkya Naik made it clear that the relationship was never intended to be one-sided.

“When ICC Chairman Jay Shah requested us, we didn’t hesitate. Our players love playing against international teams and we are ready to support each other, including through staff exchanges.”

Changing mindsets

Ugandan cricket has never lacked ambition. What it has often lacked is access.

The value of the Mumbai partnership goes beyond batsmen facing quicker bowling and mystery spinners or bowlers testing themselves against stronger batting line-ups.

It could expose scorers to better match operations. It could allow curators to study world-class pitch preparation. Physiotherapists and strength-and-conditioning coaches could exchange ideas.

Young administrators may learn how one of cricket’s biggest associations runs its competitions. Women’s cricket could benefit from greater international interaction.

Perhaps most importantly, players and officials alike could begin thinking differently.

Cricket Uganda chairman Jackson Kavuma revealed that the partnership grew from relationships carefully nurtured over several years.

“When I first came here three years ago, it was just a casual relationship. Little did I know it would grow into something this big that can take cricket to greater heights.”

As a Board, he believes the agreement can transform attitudes.

“We believe this five-year partnership will change the mindset of our players and officials and help grow our cricket.”

That may have been the most important sentence spoken all day.

Infrastructure can be built. Equipment can be purchased.

But changing what people believe is possible often becomes the catalyst for lasting success.

A future already arriving

There is a quiet symbolism that Uganda ended the tour with a seven-wicket defeat after being bowled out for just 70 by Mumbai Triumph Knights NE.

On paper, it looked a disappointing finish. In reality, it underlined the very purpose of the exercise.

After eight matches across unfamiliar venues and conditions, the Cricket Cranes boarded their flight home with five victories, invaluable experience and a partnership that could shape the next generation.

Captain Fred Achelam perhaps summed it up best.

“As a team, we are really grateful for this opportunity. Win or lose, it is the process that matters. The boys are learning and improving.”

The numbers support him. Five wins from eight matches. A 4-0 sweep in the 50-over series. Young players exposed to pressure situations.

Senior players challenged against quality opposition. Most importantly, another layer added to Uganda’s preparation for future ICC events.

Uganda hopes to host a Mumbai representative side next year.

If that happens, young cricketers in Lugogo, Jinja, Soroti or Gulu may one day share dressing rooms with players raised in one of cricket’s greatest nurseries.

The Cricket Cranes may eventually forget the scorecard from Thane.

They will not forget standing shoulder-to-shoulder with one of cricket’s biggest cricket associations and hearing the words:

“Whenever you need us, please come back.’

For a country still writing its cricket story, that invitation could be the beginning of an entirely new chapter.

UGANDA’S TOUR OF MUMBAI

RESULTS – 50 OVERS

Uganda XI 221/10 | MCA Colts XI 166/10

Uganda XI won by 55 runs

Uganda XI 299/9 | MCA Colts XI 266/10

Uganda won by 33 runs

MCA Colts XI 56/10 | Uganda XI 58/1

Uganda XI won by 9 wickets

Uganda XI 194/10 | MCA Colts XI 141/10

Uganda XI won by 53 runs

Series Result: Uganda win 4-0

RESULTS – T20 GAMES

Uganda XI 112/10 | Mumbai Falcons 118/9

Mumbai Falcons won by 1 wicket

MCA Colts XI 133/9|Uganda XI 134/6

Uganda XI won by 4 wickets

Uganda XI 114/8 |MCA Colts XI 115/5

MCA Colts XI won by 5 wickets

Uganda XI 70/10 | Triumph Knights 74/3

Mumbai Triumph Knights NE won by 7 wickets

THE TALKING POINT

Hidden Gains. The scorecards show Uganda lost the T20 series 3-1. They also show a dominant 4-0 sweep in the 50-over format and an overall 5-3 tour victory. What they cannot measure is the value of competing in unfamiliar conditions, learning new systems and building relationships that may shape Ugandan cricket long after this tour is forgotten.

The morning mist still hung low over the dense canopy of Kikuube District as an unprecedented coalition gathered at the edge of one of western Uganda’s most vital ecological treasures.

Barely a month after the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) officially assumed management of the Bugoma Central Forest Reserve, a major environmental reclamation project breathed new life into the region. On Monday, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), alongside government agencies, the Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom, and Hoima Sugar Limited, officially launched a massive restoration programme targeting the degraded landscapes surrounding the historic forest.

The initiative comes as a direct response to a rigorous environmental audit conducted by NEMA. The audit revealed that vital sections of the Kyangwali Integrated Agriculture Project had been severely degraded. This mixed-land-use area-originally earmarked for critical forest conservation, eco-tourism, and the protection of Bunyoro-Kitara cultural heritage-had fallen victim to intense human pressure. Environmental regulators identified charcoal burning, commercial cultivation, and illegal encroachment as the primary drivers behind the ecological compromise of the landscape.

To reverse the damage, NEMA issued an Environmental Restoration Order, legally binding Hoima Sugar Limited to restore the affected conservation zones. Far from a unilateral mandate, the resulting restoration plan-approved in December 2025-was forged through extensive consultations with the Ministry of Water and Environment, the National Forestry Authority (NFA), UWA, Kikuube District Local Government, and cultural and conservation stakeholders. The strategy relies on a mix of natural regeneration and the strategic enrichment planting of indigenous tree species.

‘This restoration programme reflects a shared commitment by all stakeholders to recover and protect the ecological value of the Bugoma landscape,’ stated NEMA Executive Director Dr. Barirega Akankwasah during the launch.

Dr. Akankwasah revealed that the collaborative effort is already yielding tangible results, with three square miles of degraded land successfully restored with indigenous trees. The launch marks the expansion of this exercise to cover all remaining degraded conservation pockets. To guarantee transparency and long-term viability, NEMA has accredited the Jane Goodall Institute Uganda as an independent technical partner. The institute will monitor progress, provide technical expertise, and introduce alternative livelihood programmes to help local communities thrive without depleting the forest.

Originally gazetted in 1932, the 41,144-hectare Bugoma Forest has faced decades of mounting pressure from agricultural expansion and illegal timber harvesting. This new intervention aims to permanently reverse that trend. By rehabilitating these habitats and safeguarding community green spaces, the project secures a sustainable future where economic activities and environmental preservation coexist. As Dr. Akankwasah noted, the restoration will not cease until the ecosystem completely regains its ecological integrity, ensuring Bugoma remains a sanctuary for biodiversity and a pillar of climate resilience for generations to come.