Category: Daily Monitor

Selected pilgrims attending this year’s Uganda Martyrs’ Day commemorations at Namugongo, Wakiso District, today will face strict health screening, limited access to religious sites and the suspension of traditional lakeside activities as church leaders enforce Ebola prevention measures. The scaled-down observance follows the cancellation of the national Martyrs Day celebrations, with the Catholic Church directing the faithful to commemorate the day mainly through parish-based prayers and virtual participation.

Speaking to this publication yesterday, Rev Fr Vincent Lubega, the Rector of Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine Namugongo, said prayers at the shrine will be confined to the church premises, with no activities at the lakeside, which traditionally attracts thousands of pilgrims. ‘From the entrance, standard operating procedures (SOP) from washing hands, sanitising and social spacing have already been put in place and prayers will strictly be in the Basilica and not at the lakeside as has always been the case,’ Fr Lubega said.

He added that the shrine had coordinated with police and health officials to ensure adequate preventive measures, including temperature screening and the deployment of health personnel. ‘Nearby health facilities have also been placed on standby, with enough sanitiser supplies and temperature screening measures for pilgrims who will be part of the small congregation to attend prayers physically,’ he added. The Catholic Church cancelled this year’s national celebrations and directed the faithful to commemorate the day at parish level, while allowing limited worship at the shrine under strict health guidelines.

Fr Lubega said several Masses will be celebrated throughout the day at the Basilica to manage crowds and maintain strict crowd management measures, following the normal Sunday schedule. ”Masses will be celebrated for the Namugongo parishioners like we normally do on Sundays, namely: 6:30am, 8am, 10am, and 12pm, then Mass in the evening at 5pm, all in the basilica,” he said. He added that worshippers will not be allowed to shake hands during the sign of peace (when the faithful briefly exchange handshakes, bows, or nods with those around them), saying, “Peace be with you” and will be required to leave immediately after Mass to avoid congestion.

”During Mass, we shall insist there is no interaction, like signs of peace that require handshaking. The few people that will attend each Mass will sit in a recommended social distance from one another. After each Mass, people will be directed out of the shrine so that others can have a chance to pray,” Fr Lubega said. In another major departure from previous commemorations, pilgrims will not be permitted to visit the lakeside or collect water from the site. ”It is only at the shrine where we shall pray and then go. At the lake, there will be nothing there. There is no picking of water and no delay or interactions. Once Mass is over, we go,” he added. Church leaders have also ruled out the presence of invited dignitaries and government officials who would ordinarily attend the national celebrations.

Expectation at the Anglican site

At the Anglican Martyrs Site, only 200 participants will be allowed to attend the one service commemoration after the Ministry of Health granted conditional approval for the event to proceed. The service will be led by Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba and attended by particularly clergy, church officials, health workers, organisers, security personnel, media practitioners, with no walk-in worshippers permitted. The Provincial Secretary of the Church of Uganda, Rev Canon William Ongeng, said the church had adjusted its programme to comply with Ministry of Health guidelines aimed at preventing the spread of Ebola.

The restrictions mean that, unlike previous years when thousands gathered at Namugongo for the Anglican celebrations, the event will largely be followed remotely by Christians across the country virtually. In a statement on May 17, President Museveni announced the postponement following consultations with religious leaders and national epidemic response authorities, saying the move was necessary to protect the lives and health of pilgrims and the general public.

Spiritual Void: Namugongo vibe many will miss

At the Catholic Shrine is a well-organised energetic choir singing an oratorio of the 22 original hymns of Uganda’s Martyrs. A kilometre away the replica of the same is happening as another powerful choir at the Anglican site is singing hymns and praises. In the interior is a fully packed mammoth of faithful in prayer mode. In the exterior of the two worship places is a booming business that has attracted a visibly happy people ranging from business owners who are reaping from the advantageous numbers, the drunkards who choose to forget their problems and enjoy alcohol uncontrollably, among others.

This is the Namugongo vibe hundreds of thousands, Ugandan Christian faithful together with their well-wishers will miss at this year’s Martyrs’ Day commemoration-why? Because of the unfortunate outbreak of the Ebola epidemic in the country. Besides stopping thousands of Ugandans and other pilgrims from Kenya, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other countries from trekking to Namugongo, the two worship places have also limited various activities creating a spiritual void. Rev Fr Vincent Lubega, the rector at the Namugongo Martyrs Shrine, told this publication yesterday that many changes have been put in place to contain the Ebola spread.

For example, fetching holy water that has previously been done at free will as long as you can, has been limited, there will also be no gatherings and handshakes. The Mass will be held inside the basillica, instead of the altar outdoors. By 6am on June 3, last year, all the entrances of both the Catholic shrine, and the Anglican site had been filled to capacity as a magnitude of pilgrims squeezed their way through to physically witness the commemoration. But even when they managed to enter through a few, perhaps those that entered three days earlier, could have a chance to glimpse at the men and women of God.

All the three 1,000-capacity pavilions surrounding the altar outdoors at the Catholic side were filled to capacity and distributed among three categories of people, including the clergy, guest pilgrims and the choir, and other special guests. But today, Rev Fr Lubega said the Mass will be attended by only 200 faithful who have been cleared. The same number of the faithful will be at the Anglican site.–Compiled by Busein Samilu

There is a big, big problem with President Yoweri Museveni forwarding the names of alleged dual citizens to Parliament for vetting as ministers. The appointments have kicked up a huge storm. For me, the issue is that 30 million Ugandans are not dual citizens.

“Mononationalism”, requiring one to be a citizen of only one country, is a form of modern state-sponsored hostage-taking. The Ugandan State, sitting behind heavy iron gates, like many others, demands absolute loyalty while offering shaky public services, and yet tells you that loving another country is treason (as it did in the recent obnoxious Sovereignty Act).

That’s why dual or multiple citizenship for everyone shouldn’t be a luxury reserved for a small elite; it should be championed as the ultimate human right, because it breaks the monopoly governments hold over human lives. The modern idea of citizenship, consolidated in the 19th Century, was designed to ensure states had a compliant pool of taxpayers and soldiers who had nowhere else to go. It’s a political scam. It is a relic that has allowed governments to operate as monopolies. If you carry only the sky-blue Ugandan passport, the State effectively owns your labour, your assets, and your physical body.

It can tax you punitively, herd your children into underfunded schools, or restrict your rights, and your only real low-risk option is to take it. Of course, you can go to the bush and get killed. However, if everyone is a dual citizen, nations must suddenly compete for your residency and loyalty. Governments would have to treat their people like customers rather than captive subjects. If the Ugandan government passes draconian laws or mismanages the economy, citizens can instantly vote with their feet and move to Botswana, Canada, or any destination on their second or third passport. Universal dual citizenship thus introduces market competition into the State project, forcing governments to become more efficient, less corrupt, and more respectful of human rights to keep their tax base and pool of soldiers and police from evaporating.

And there is more. Nationalism thrives on the concept of the “other”-the poisonous idea that the person across the border is fundamentally different and a potential enemy. If everyone holds citizenship in at least two nations, the psychological concept of the nation-state fractures in a healthy way. It becomes more difficult for a demagogue or populist to drum up xenophobia or launch a border skirmish against a neighbour when 30 percent of their own population also holds that country’s passport or identity card. Universal dual citizenship would create a web of overlapping geopolitical loyalties that serves as a permanent, decentralised peace treaty, forcing political restraint by legal default.

Otherwise, the “birth lottery” is the most pervasive, invisible form of systemic inequality on Earth. A child born in a struggling village in Karamoja or a crowded corner of Kisenyi in Kampala faces a lifetime of international mobility restrictions purely because of the GPS coordinates of their birth. Meanwhile, a child born in Toronto or London gets a strong passport, institutional safety, and automatic access to global opportunities. The possibility for everyone to be a dual citizen would level the playing field. It decouples human potential from the tyranny of geography. It turns citizenship from an arbitrary caste system assigned at birth into an adaptable toolkit for human progress

We live in an era of rapid political polarisation, where a sudden shift in the political wind can radically alter the safety and rights of minority groups, scientists, intellectuals, or business owners overnight. Look at the dramatic 2021 military arrest of Lawrence Muganga on charges of being a “Rwandan spy”, which vanished into thin air days later. The only thing that had changed was that Uganda was no longer in an openly hostile diplomatic stand-off with Rwanda. Having only one citizenship means you are effectively a hostage to your country’s political pendulum. Universal dual citizenship provides every human being with an institutional “eject button.” It ensures that no matter how unstable or oppressive your home country becomes, you are never trapped. And that’s why millions of Ugandans should be dual citizens.

Former Gender minister and Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) stalwart Betty Amongi is among those who were dropped from their ministerial positions in the Cabinet reshuffle that was announced on Tuesday last week. Her dismissal, however, came as a surprise to many people since she was seemingly one of President Museveni’s trusted ministers and held several ministerial dockets. But some critics said they had warned her and several others from the Opposition, who were hobnobbing with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party that they risked being used and dumped.

The former Oyam South Member of Parliament, who is also the wife of the UPC president, Mr Jimmy Akena Obote, served as the minister of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development (2016 to 2019) and minister of Kampala Capital City Metropolitan Affairs (2019-2021) before being posted to lead the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development, where she served until May 26, 2026.

The relation between President Museveni and Akena and his wife was considered very cordial to the extent that when Mr Akena married Ms Amongi on April 7, 2013, President Museveni reportedly contributed Shs50 million towards the ceremony. Mr Akena married Ms Amongi at a colourful ceremony held at Minakulu Primary School, Minakulu Sub-county in Oyam District. President Museveni was the chief guest at the ceremony, which was attended by many dignitaries.

Mr Akena reportedly paid a bride price of 20 heads of cattle, Shs20 million and 12 goats. Also, back in 2015, Mr Museveni revealed that Akena’s UPC faction was close to forming an alliance with the NRM party. According to Mr Jimmy Awany, a UPC supporter in Lira City and a friend of Mr Akena, after the agreement was sealed, Mr Akena, a son of former President Milton Obote, urged his supporters to vote for Mr Museveni in the 2011, 2016 and 2021 elections. However, things fell apart in the build-up to the 2026 General Election, with Mr Akena joining the race for the presidency.

The Electoral Commission eventually disqualified him from the race. His wife, Ms Amongi, also abandoned her home county of Oyam South and relocated to Lira City where she contested against NRM’s Dr Jane Ruth Aceng in the race for the Lira City Woman MP seat. However, she lost the race. Ms Amongi polled 26,199 votes against Dr Aceng’s 38,074 votes, according to data from the Electoral Commission. On the streets of Lira City, some people are now questioning if Ms Amongi is a victim of the Akena-Museveni sweet-bitter relationship? In the new Cabinet, UPC’s Santa Alum, the Oyam South Member of Parliament, was been appointed as State minister for Economic Monitoring in the Office of the President.

Mr Akena, however, said UPC party was not consulted in regard to Ms Alum’s appointment. UPC said in a statement that Ms Alum’s acceptance of the appointment would be regarded as an individual decision, and not a position taken by the party. ‘UPC further clarifies that while the party has submitted a proposed framework for possible future structured political engagement and discussions with the National Resistance Movement (NRM), no active cooperation agreement, governing arrangement, or formal working partnership presently exists between the two parties,’ the statement reads in part. Mr Akena said the proposed framework submitted by UPC is subject to discussion, consultation, mutual agreement, and the resolution of outstanding issues identified by the party as necessary prerequisites for trust and meaningful engagement.

‘UPC, therefore, remains an independent political party in Opposition, guided by its constitutional structures, principles, and long-standing commitment to constitutionalism, democratic governance, national unity, social justice, and practical people-centred development. ‘The party will continue advancing its own political and policy positions through Parliament, public engagement, and its broader national structures, while maintaining cordial and constructive working relationships with fellow representatives of the people of Uganda in the 12th Parliament across the political divide,’ he said. Mr Jacob Ocen, the NRM spokesperson in Lango Sub-region, said the party’s leaders cannot transact any political and governance-related businesses with Mr Akena’s UPC faction because ‘they do not honour agreements.”

‘First of all, during and after the elections, there were some UPC factions President Museveni was calling ‘UPC Museveni’ and ‘UPC Akena’. UPC Akena was a defiant faction who were saying don’t vote for Museveni and UPC Museveni were campaigning for Museveni,’ he told Daily Monitor last Thursday. The team of ‘UPC Museveni’ included among others, Ms Alum, now appointed State minister for Economic Monitoring, and Mr Chris Ongom, a former UPC regional vice chairperson for Lango Sub-region. ‘When you look at the current situation, it means Museveni has shifted allegiance from Akena by opening a new chapter of dealing with UPC,’ Mr Ocen explained, adding: ‘Akena said in a statement that they were not consulted on the appointment of Santa Alum, yet according to NRM, they were no longer relevant.

This means they’re completely out of the alliance.’ Ms Amongi recently expressed gratitude to the people of Lira City for their support, while also alluding to the alleged political interference that characterised that election. ‘I assure them of my continued commitment to working with the people, listening to them, standing with them, and pursuing the vision we have consistently shared,’ she said. The former Gender minister added: ‘However, politics has a way of teaching difficult lessons: the impunity and undemocratic methods used against opponents can, in time, return to haunt them. That is a lesson all politicians should reflect upon.”

The Sebei Sub-region is renowned for its intercropping practices, where farmers cultivate a diverse range of crops in two distinct seasons. In the first season, they grow maize, onions, beans, cabbage, and Irish potatoes, while in the second season, they plant cash crops such as barley and sorghum.

While barley typically takes about three months to grow and mature, from planting to harvesting, fertiliser provides the essential nutritional supplements that help the plants to mature and stay healthy.

On a rainy day in Benet Sub-county, Kween District, members of the Ganan Farmers Group, led by their chairperson, Evelyn Kabuno, are producing biofertilizers and biopesticides for their barley gardens.

The group is part of the 38 farmer groups that form the Elgon Pamoja Project, run by Aid Environment with financial support from Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL).

‘Most of the materials we use to make the biofertiliser and biopesticides are locally sourced. For the biofertiliser, we use tisonia (wild sunflower) leaves, phytolacca dodecandra (African soapberry) leaves, wood ash, crushed stone dust, and water,’ Kabuno explains.

The leaves are cut into small pieces and mixed in a basin with the other materials, including water.

The mixture goes through a fermentation period of two weeks. Every two days, the mixture is stirred as it is allowed to ferment.

‘After two weeks, we sieve the mixture to get the liquid biofertiliser we spray on our barley crops. In the spraying cans, we mix a ratio of one litre of fertiliser to four litres of water,’ Kabuno adds.

To get biopesticides, the group mixes tisonia leaves, chopped onions, small pieces of blue soap, crushed red pepper, and water. The mixture is also fermented for two weeks before a liquid pesticide is extracted.

Trainings in conservation

Besides embracing organic farming, Aid Environment has offered the farmers training in making soil and water conservation structures such as trenches. In most gardens, the trenches are about two feet by two feet, and they are constructed 10 metres apart.

Benet Sub-county’s agricultural officer Amos Mali says the hilly region offers rich agriculture because of its fertile soils. However, during the rainy season, the challenge is that top soils are washed away.

‘This causes declining soil fertility, which, together with deforestation, affects productivity. So, we welcome the training efforts of the Elgon Pamoja Project, which are helping farmers to conserve the environment and increase agricultural productivity,’ he says.

Training farmers also reduces the costs of production since they make their own fertiliser and pesticides, as opposed to buying them at high prices. Two weeks ago, the project donated tree seedlings to the different farmers’ groups, with the hope that planting trees will help hold the soil together and reduce the impact of soil erosion during the rainy season.

Eliakim Kibet, the project manager, says the Elgon Pamoja Project is operating in barley and sorghum-growing sub-counties in the four districts of Kween, Kapchorwa, Bukwo, and Bulambuli.

‘Barley and sorghum are the main raw materials for UBL, so the project aims at increasing the productivity of the two crops in the region and improving the livelihoods of the farmers. Currently, we are working with 750 farmers in 38 farmer groups,’ he notes.

The project has also trained farmers in financial literacy and in the construction of biodigesters and rainwater harvesting tanks. Yudaya Annita Munanda, the regional agronomy manager for the Mt Elgon Region at UBL, says the company collects up to 5,000 metric tonnes of barley, 1,500 metric tonnes of sorghum, and 5,000 metric tonnes of corn from the region.

‘With the biodigesters, water tanks, and tree seedlings, and the construction of trenches, the Elgon Pamoja Project has given farmers techniques that will last for generations,’ she says.

Clean cooking Sophie Chepkwuri, a member of Kapchesiy Farmers Group, is also a barley grower. She praises the project for helping her to construct a biodigester at her home in Kapchesiy Cell, Kapyesi Ward, East Division, Kapchorwa Municipality.

‘As a family, we used to buy firewood at a high price. We would buy a bundle for Shs5,000, which was not even enough to cook the day’s meals. Another challenge was that in the rainy season, it was not easy to light wet wood. Today, however, all I need is Napier grass, which I grow behind my house,’ she explains.

The harvested Napier grass is fed into a machine that cuts it into small pieces. The grass forms the bulk of the food for Chepkwuri’s four cows.

Sometimes, the grass is mixed with desmodium.

‘We also feed the cows on banana suckers, matooke peels, and maize brand mixed with rice brand. We feed them three times a day, because the more food they get, the more dung we harvest from them,’ Chepkwuri says.

Every day, in the feeding chamber of the biodigester, two basins of cow dung and four jerrycans of water are mixed and stirred.

‘Anyone in my household, including my husband, can do this work because it is easy. It is not like going to look for firewood, which is a household chore restricted to women and girls,’ the farmer says.

After the mixture of dung and water is properly stirred, it is released into the digester, where it is converted into methane gas, says Dismas Cheptoek, the regenerative agricultural expert for Aid Environment.

‘The digester can absorb 4,000 litres of cow dung mixture. It contains large quantities of bacteria that break down the cow dung to methane gas. The gas passes through the valve and flows to the kitchen,’ he says.

The residue cow dung is pushed into the expunction chamber, then into the bioslurry chamber.

‘What is sent to the bioslurry chamber is what we use to fertilise the soils in our coffee and banana plantations and barley gardens. Before we started using this biofertiliser, the banana plantation produced small-sized bunches that I sold at Shs15,000. Today, however, the yield has improved, and I sell a bunches at Shs25,000 or Shs30,000,’ Chepkwuri notes.

In her indoor kitchen, Chepkwuri uses a double hot plate, connected to the biodigester, to cook her family’s meals. It is fast and clean cooking.

‘The only challenge for me in the entire biodigester system is the amount of water I have to use. In my home area, water flows from our taps for only two hours a day. If I miss out on those two hours, I have to send a boda boda rider to the spring to fetch water for me. This is very expensive,’ she says.

Biodigesters have helped to reduce the pressure on the environment since fewer people are cutting down trees for firewood. They have also helped to improve soil health through the biofertiliser they release.

‘The total cost of the system is around Shs2.5m. Through a co-financing model, we have supported farmers to construct biodigesters, with a 40 percent subsidy. The farmer contributes 60 percent of the total cost in the form of locally available materials,’ Cheptoek says.

Rainwater harvesting

While Chepkwuri’s dream is to install a rainwater harvesting tank in the compound, Mary Chemutai, a resident of Kaplakatet Upper Village, Kaproron Town Council, Kween District, is living the dream.

The Elgon Pamoja Project supported the barley farmer with the construction of a water tank in a co-financing model.

‘During the rainy season, the tank saves us from walking long distances in search of water. The nearest water source is two kilometres away, and at my age, I can no longer walk there,’ she says.

The harvested water also helped fast-track the construction of a commercial building in front of her home.

‘Previously, we were hiring donkeys to ferry jerrycans of water from the water source, at Shs2,000 per trip. Today, though, we can do a lot of work at home because we no longer waste time walking to the spring,’ she adds.

Rainwater harvesting has also stemmed the soil erosion that was occurring in the gardens behind her home and provided a constant water source for the family.

Barley farming

In 2024, many farmers in Sebei Sub-region started switching to barley growing in search of better profits. Some of the farmers abandoned Irish potatoes for barley growing, which is a raw material in beer making. They farmers said the cereal is profitable and that it matures within a short time.

Currently, there are more than 13,000 farmers of barley and sorghum in the district of Kween, Bukwo and Kapchorwa which make up the sub-region. Barley has two seasons, the first one starts from March-May and the second from August-October.

Currently, each bag can fetch more Shs190,000. Each kilogramme of quality barley goes for around Shs1,900.

Extension workers support farmers with knowledge and skills, with Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) partnering in training programmes. Ms Clare Cherop, an extension officer-in-charge of Kapchorwa, says they mobilise and train farmers.

‘We are skilling farmers to produce quality cereals and also training them on harvesting and post-harvest handling,” she says.

Ms Cherop adds that they ensure farmers are provided with the necessary facilities to produce clean cereals that meet brewing standards.

The farmers, however, say they face challenges of poor road network that hampers transportation of their harvests.

An Irish humanitarian initiative, Hope on Wheels, has given Uganda 11 ambulances to improve emergency care for patients with cancer, HIV/AIDS and other palliative care needs.

While handing over the ambulances to the Ministry of Health on Tuesday, Mr Tom Doyle, HOW Board Chairperson, said the initiative was inspired by the late Dr Anne Merriman, the ‘mother of palliative care’ in Africa and founder of Kampala-based Hospice Africa Uganda. Mr Doyle, who founded one of Ireland’s biggest bakery businesses, said the plan to donate the ambulances was born in January 2025 over dinner with Dr Merriman, shortly before she died.

‘She suggested, could we get one ambulance for Hospice Africa Uganda? So we went back to Ireland, we thought about this, and we thought, let’s try to get maybe more than one ambulance and let’s look at more than one hospice,’ he narrated.

Mr Doyle explained that once their team adopted the bigger plan, they teamed up with the Palliative Care Association of Uganda and looked at the broader hospice community.

‘We decided to try something bigger. We approached the Irish National Ambulance Service, and we approached our fire service back in Ireland, and we found that once they heard of the need in Uganda, they also wanted to help,’ he said. ‘So they gave us these vehicles. The vehicles are some of them six or seven years old, some of them a little bit more than that, but they’ve been taken care of really well,’ he said.

He also recounted how the US-Iran war disrupted the first delivery plan and how volunteers sacrificed to mobilise resources and travel to Uganda.

‘And then two weeks ago, when we thought all of the challenges were dealt with, the ambulances were already sitting in the port in Mombasa, the news broke of Ebola in the DR Congo, but also some small number of cases in Uganda,’ he said. ‘And this then makes a big decision for our volunteers. Do you get on an aeroplane and travel to an area where you could become very, very ill or maybe bring back a virus back to Europe? But our volunteers were brave enough to come to Uganda,’ he added.

Dr Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, in a speech read by Dr Charles Olaro, Director General of Health Services, appreciated HOW and said the ambulances would be put to good use. Dr Olaro said the Ebola outbreak is under control and international travellers can come in and leave free from Ebola.

While receiving the ambulances, Dr Olaro also launched the Dr Anne Merriman Fund for Palliative Care in Uganda, an initiative aimed at bridging gaps in access to palliative care in the country.

According to the Palliative Care Association of Uganda, most Ugandans who need palliative care cannot access it due to a low number of professionals and limited facilities.

Dr Nixon Niyonzima, PCAU Board Chairperson, said the country requires at least 3,000 palliative care professionals but has only 350. The Ministry of Health says the ambulances will be distributed to different hospices, many run by charity organisations, across the country.

The Buganda Kingdom has been thrown into mourning following the death of the head of the Kasimba clan, Omutaka Kabazi David Nampuuma, a respected cultural leader whose life was dedicated to preserving the traditions, values, and unity of his people.

News of his passing spread quickly across Buganda, leaving family members, clan leaders, and community members saddened by the loss of a man who served his clan with wisdom and dedication despite his advanced age.

Omutaka Kabazi died on Monday while being rushed to hospital after his health deteriorated, according to kingdom officials.

Buganda Kingdom Minister for Information Mr Israel Kazibwe Kitooke confirmed the news and said Omutaka Kabazi had for many years guided the Kasimba clan and represented its interests within the wider kingdom.

‘It is unfortunate that the late Omutaka was seen publicly during the clan football match over the weekend at Kawanda Secondary School playground, where the Kasimba clan was playing against the Ngo clan. That turned out to be his last public appearance,’ Mr Kazibwe said.

He described the late clan head as a staunch defender of cultural heritage who encouraged younger generations to appreciate their roots and uphold ancestral customs.

‘Through his leadership, clan members strengthened their sense of identity and belonging through various activities such as sports, Nkoba Za Mbogo, and many others,’ he said.

Mr Kazibwe added that Buganda will remember Omutaka Kabazi for his commitment to community and his role in promoting unity.

‘During his tenure, he worked closely with fellow clan leaders and kingdom officials to promote unity and peaceful coexistence among communities. He also served as a mentor and adviser to the younger generation because of his age and experience,’ Mr Kazibwe said.

Speaker of the Council of Clan Heads Omutaka Augustine Kizito Namwama said the council received the sad news on Tuesday morning.

‘Currently, we do not have details of the burial arrangements because we received the information from his Prime Minister, Brown Rwanga, who confirmed his death,’ he said.

Mr Namwama explained that clan customs require burial preparations to begin only after a successor is installed.

‘This process is supposed to be handled by the prime ministers of the Nyange and Ngeye clans. At the moment, we do not have details regarding the burial date or who the successor will be, but the process will take some time,’ he said.

‘According to clan customs, the deceased cannot be buried until a successor has been identified and installed. After the successor is found, the burial will take place. We shall communicate further details as we continue with the cultural procedures of preparing for the burial and identifying the successor,’ he added.

Kingdom authorities say burial arrangements will be communicated after consultations with the family, clan members, and the Buganda Kingdom.

When Xi Jinping rose to power as Chinese Communist Party general secretary in 2012 and state president in 2013, he inherited a Tibet already under tight control. Yet what distinguishes his tenure is the transformation of Tibet from a contested periphery into a laboratory of authoritarian consolidation. Xi’s Tibet policy is not reactive. It is deliberate, systematic, and emblematic of his broader project to secure China’s borders while erasing cultural pluralism.

Tibet as a Security Frontier.

Xi has consistently framed Tibet as a national security issue. The region’s proximity to India, its symbolic connection to the Dalai Lama, and its history of resistance make it, in Beijing’s eyes, a potential fault line. Under Xi, Tibet has been subjected to deepening securitization. Refugee flows have been reduced to a tricklethrough militarized border controls and pressure on traditional escape routes through Nepal. Surveillance technologies, including DNA collection, facial recognition, AI-enabled monitoring, and border surveillance, have turned Tibet and Tibetan communities in the region into some of the most closely monitored populations in the world. Dissent, including in private digital spaces, has been criminalized under an expanding legal and security framework.

Assimilation as Strategy

Xi’s Sinicization campaign extends beyond Tibet, but its application there is particularly severe. Education policies have separated many Tibetan children from families, placing them in boarding schools and preschools where Mandarin increasingly replaces Tibetan language instruction. Religious practice has been curtailed: monasteries have faced raids and surveillance, images of the Dalai Lama are banned, and monks have been subjected to detention and political indoctrination. These measures are not incidental. They reflect Xi’s conviction that cultural distinctiveness is a threat to national unity.

Legal Warfare and Extraterritorial Reach

Xi has also weaponized law to extend repression beyond Tibet’s borders. China’s new Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, adopted in March 2026 and due to enter into force in July 2026, has drawn warnings from UN experts, who say it risks entrenching forced assimilation and encouraging transnational repression. This legal architecture signals Beijing’s intent not only to reshape identity inside China, but also to intimidate diaspora communities and redefine sovereignty, legitimacy, and cultural rights on China’s terms.

Xi’s Personal Responsibility. Unlike his predecessors, Xi has centralized authority to an extent unseen since Mao. Tibet policy is not simply the product of bureaucratic inertia. It reflects Xi’s personal vision. His father, Xi Zhongxun, had ties to the Dalai Lama and was associated with softer approaches toward Tibet. Xi has rejected that legacy, opting instead for a far more coercive model of control. The crackdown in Tibet is therefore inseparable from Xi’s consolidation of power and his ideological project of ‘national rejuvenation.’

Strategic Consequences.

Cultural erasure: Tibet’s identity faces an existential risk under Xi’s assimilationist policies.

Regional instability: Tibet’s securitization exacerbates tensions with India, complicating an already fraught Sino-Indian rivalry.

Global implications: Xi’s extraterritorial repression challenges liberal democracies to respond, because silence risks normalizing authoritarian expansion beyond China’s borders.

Since 2012-2013, Xi Jinping has transformed Tibet into a crucible of authoritarian control. His policies of surveillance, assimilation, securitization, and legal warfare are not merely domestic tactics. They are strategic moves to secure China’s frontier and project its authoritarian model globally. Tibet is therefore not only a human rights tragedy, but also a geopolitical warning: Xi’s Tibet is the future he envisions for contested spaces worldwide.

Long before the mass executions at Namugongo turned Uganda’s Martyrs into a global religious symbol, three teenage boys were killed at Busega in what historians describe as the beginning of Christian persecution under Kabaka Mwanga II.

Makko Kakumba, 16, Yusuf Rugarama, 12, and Nuwa Sserwanga, 19, were arrested in Nateete and executed on January 31, 1885, at Mpiima-Erebera, present-day Busega. Historical accounts say they were among the first recorded Uganda Martyrs.

The trio was early Christian converts serving in the Buganda royal court during the final years of Kabaka Muteesa I and the early reign of Mwanga II. They were linked to missionary work connected to Alexander Mackay of the Church Missionary Society. They were later arrested while accompanying missionaries and executed after refusing to renounce their faith.

At Uganda Martyrs’ Church in Busega under Nateete Archdeaconry, Namirembe Diocese, Rev Edward Walakira says the story of the three boys remains hard to reconstruct fully due to limited documentation.

‘Busega holds a unique place in Uganda’s Christian history because it marks the beginning of the martyrdom period that later spread to other parts of the kingdom, including Namugongo,’ he said.

He described the executions as brutal. ‘On that day, they were killed after being tortured where their hands and legs were cut before they were burnt,’ Rev Walakira said. Mpiima-Erebera, the execution site, gets its name from a traditional sharp sword used for punishment during the Buganda kingdom era.

Unlike Namugongo, where dozens were killed in mass executions, Busega represents what historians call the earliest phase of persecution: smaller, more isolated and less documented killings.

‘We still face a hard time tracing the full background of these three,’ Rev Walakira said, noting that much of what is known comes from missionary records and oral tradition.

A memorial now stands at the church marking the site where the boys were killed. ‘A special commemorative Mass is held annually, often on the last Sunday of January, to honour their sacrifice,’ Rev Walakira added.

Among the lesser-known figures in Uganda’s martyrdom story is Clara Catherine Nalumansi, a princess born in 1863 to Kabaka Mutesa I and Nagadya. Initially a Muslim, she converted first to Protestantism and later to Catholicism, becoming the first member of Buganda’s royal family to embrace Christianity.

According to historian Frederick Kasozi, her alignment with Christian missionaries troubled her younger brother Kabaka Mwanga. She was executed on August 2, 1888, at her residence in Kazo, Bwaise.

In August 2016, the late Archbishop Dr Cyprian Kizito Lwanga announced that Rome had given the green light to start her beatification process, on condition that her profile was documented.

Rev John Kitayimbwa, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Uganda Christian University Mukono, said the commemoration of all martyrs is unified under the broader canonisation by the Catholic Church, regardless of where they were killed.

‘The canonisation of these martyrs is what brought them together, which is why we commemorate them collectively on the main Martyrs Day, even though some were killed earlier,’ he said.

The Karuma-Olwiyo-Pakwach-Arua road cuts through Murchison Falls National Park, home to the giants – elephants.

On both sides of the road lies dense bush where elephants and other animals have roamed for centuries.

Along the roadside, a few warning signposts about animal presence have been erected by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).

The Ministry of Works has also erected speed-limit signage within Murchison Falls National Park. But at night, some of the elephants crossing the road remain invisible.

These giants have for years claimed the lives of people travelling on this road. The latest incident occurred on the night of May 24, 2026, when a car carrying seven Uganda Revenue Authority officials struck a crossing elephant approximately 10 kilometres from the Karuma checkpoint.

Three of the occupants died at the scene. Four others, including the driver, sustained critical injuries.

Eyewitnesses gave a harrowing account of how the incident happened. They said the injured elephant, infuriated by the collision, did not flee. Instead, it charged and pushed the vehicle off the road into the bush and began smashing it.

‘We started breaking the window glass to pull out the injured since the doors could not open, but the elephant, upon hearing the noise, rose and headed for the car and began smashing it,’ recounted Mr Khaled Ali, a witness who helped rescue survivors.

He added: ‘The elephant started pushing the vehicle into the bush, and we fled.’

This upsetting reality reminds Mr Ismail Anguzu, a driver from Arua, of an incident seven years ago when he survived narrowly knocking an elephant with his car. The experience still sends chills down his spine, especially whenever he drives along the route at night.

‘My blood goes cold whenever I am driving on that road. Seven years ago, my life would have ended on that road. God saved my life because I nearly knocked an elephant that was crossing the road,’ he said on Monday.

He noted that visibility had been disrupted by heavy rain.

‘I applied the brakes when I was less than five metres from the elephant. I had to switch off the engine. When I restarted it, I saw the elephant charging towards my car. I had to reverse for some metres,’ he said.

He said he was already trembling because he had witnessed an earlier incident in which several people died after a now-defunct Koboko Coaches Transporters (KKT) bus knocked down an elephant.

This is not an isolated tragedy. It is another chapter in a growing crisis along highways that bisect wildlife corridors. For drivers who use this route, understanding the rules of survival is not optional.

He said drivers should be aware that honking or flashing headlights can irritate elephants.

What to know about elephants

According to Britannica, an African bush elephant can weigh between 4,500kg and 6,100kg, with some males reaching up to 10,886kg. By comparison, the average car weighs about 1,860kg.

The African bush elephant can also stand up to 13.1 feet (4 metres) tall at the shoulder. It has equally impressive ears, which can be up to 6 feet (1.8 metres) long and 4 feet (1.2 metres) wide.

To sustain themselves, these elephants require 330-375 pounds (149-169kg) of food and up to 50 gallons (190 litres) of water per day.

Mr Muhammed Odongo, a driver who frequently transports building materials along the route, said: ‘I usually drive slowly within the park, whether at night or during the day. But sometimes they emerge from the bush suddenly, and it becomes difficult to control the vehicle.’

He added: ‘Imagine a car knocking an elephant and how badly damaged the vehicle could be, while the lives of the occupants are put at risk. We need more control measures by UWA because we cannot stop driving at night; we also need to survive.’

The road cutting through Murchison Falls National Park has often been viewed as a breathtaking adventure route where tourists roll down their windows to photograph wildlife roaming freely across the savannah.

Today, however, the same road is increasingly becoming a death trap as wandering elephants collide with speeding vehicles, motorcycles and unsuspecting travellers.

Why the incidents remain worrying

On June 8, 2016, three people died in a KKT bus accident after it knocked an elephant in Murchison Falls National Park. Ten others were critically injured. The bus was travelling from Arua to Kampala when it hit the elephant at around 2am in Alengo Village, about one kilometre from Karuma Trading Centre in Kiryandongo District.

In November 2012, at least seven people died and 45 others sustained serious injuries after the bus they were travelling in overturned several times after hitting an elephant along the Pakwach-Karuma road.

Following the accident, KKT management and the Transport Licensing Board suspended operations on the Arua-Kampala route for about two weeks while drivers and other staff underwent review.

In October 2010, at least 21 people died in a bus accident at Wi-Anaka in Nwoya District.

A survivor’s testimony

Ms Florence Apio, a regular traveller on the road, said: ‘One night, while travelling on a California bus, the driver suddenly switched off the engine. We had travelled about six kilometres from Pakwach when an elephant started crossing the road. We sensed danger when the driver abruptly stopped.’

‘Then passengers in the front seats shouted, ‘Elephant, elephant!’ Shortly afterwards, I saw it disappear into the bush. Some of us hit our heads on the bus seats because of the sudden braking. If the driver had not braked, some of us would have died. The elephant was a real giant.’

Ask anyone who lives near the park and they will tell you the same thing: the road does not belong to you after dark.

People living in Purongo Sub-county have often faced the wrath of elephants through crop destruction and physical attacks.

Mr Geoffrey Okello, a resident of Wi-Anaka, said: ‘These animals do not care that these are highways for vehicles. To them, it is their natural habitat. If you are speeding at night, you are driving blind. By the time your headlights catch the grey skin, you are already too close.’

He said some elephants cross into community gardens looking for food.

‘Some of them are very dangerous, especially when they get angry. They can destroy property and even kill,’ he said.

Local residents say the situation has worsened over the past few years as elephant herds move farther beyond park boundaries in search of water and food, especially during dry seasons.

Control measures

UWA recently established electric barriers in parts of the park, although these have mainly helped control other animals. Along the newly tarmacked road linking Pakwach, Paraa and Masindi, UWA has installed speed-monitoring equipment, while the Ministry of Works has constructed numerous humps to limit speeding.

UWA Assistant Commissioner for Communications Mr Bashir Hangi said: ‘Motorists travelling through protected areas are strongly advised to drive cautiously, as wild animals frequently cross roads.’

He also expressed regret over the May 24 accident that claimed three lives.

Wildlife officials have previously acknowledged that human-wildlife conflict inside and around the park is common. Elephants, which often move in large family groups, can be highly unpredictable when startled by vehicle noise, headlights or speeding motorists.

Tourist vans, cargo trucks and buses often race through the park to save time, especially at dawn and nightfall when wildlife is most active.

The danger is not limited to tourists. Fishermen, charcoal traders and local farmers who use roads passing through the conservation area face daily risks. Boda-boda riders are particularly vulnerable because they travel exposed and often at night.

Residents of villages bordering the park say elephants sometimes remain near roads for hours, especially after rain when roadside vegetation becomes greener.

Ms Jesca Adegi, who frequently enters the park to collect firewood and grass for thatching, said: ‘When you meet them, you must stop very far away. Young people like taking photos and videos on their phones. That is very dangerous because once an elephant starts charging, your chances of survival are minimal.’

Others want UWA to install solar-powered alert systems that can warn drivers when large animals are near road crossings.

Tour operators are also calling for stricter enforcement against reckless driving within the park.

Experts warn that the problem could intensify as climate change and human activity continue to alter animal movement patterns. During prolonged dry spells, elephants travel longer distances in search of water and grazing areas, bringing them closer to human activity and transport routes.

Despite the risks, many Ugandans living around the park still value elephants as part of their heritage and tourism economy. However, they say coexistence will only work if authorities prioritise road safety and public awareness.

What the law says

The Wildlife Act, 2019 provides for offences related to wildlife conservation areas.

Section 59 on accidental killing of a wild animal states that where a person kills a wild animal through accident or error, he or she shall, as soon as practicable, report the incident to an authorised officer and, where possible, hand over the carcass or part of it as directed.

Subsection (1) does not apply to a person entitled under a wildlife-use right or permit issued under the Act to hunt a protected or wild animal of that species under the circumstances in which it was killed.

A person who contravenes the section commits an offence.

Any compensation?

Under the Act, compensation may be awarded where a person is killed, suffers bodily injury, or sustains property damage due to a wild animal listed in the Third Schedule.

However, compensation is not automatic. A formal and verified claim must be submitted to the Wildlife Compensation Verification Committee.

But every day, as darkness falls across the vast savannah and elephant silhouettes emerge from the bush, one mistake on these roads can mean the difference between survival and tragedy.

The National Environment Management Authority (Nema) recently evicted encroachers from Lubigi Wetland in Kawaala, Rubaga Division, in Kampala.

Several houses and makeshift structures constructed in the severely degraded wetland were demolished by a Nema enforcement team in conjunction with the police. The operation conducted at Kawaala is part of an ongoing nationwide crackdown on wetland encroachers.

According to Nema, the countrywide operations are aimed at restoring degraded wetlands to enable them to perform their duties, such as flood control, water filtration, and climate regulation, among others.

Across the country, vast tracts of wetlands have been encroached on and degraded by farmers, brick makers, and people who have built residential and commercial houses in them.

Wetlands are also threatened by pollutants that some irresponsible proprietors and employees of factories release into them. Even though some progress has been made in the war against environmental degradation, much more still needs to be done.

A key issue that must be expeditiously resolved is the complaints about selective eviction of encroachers.

Previous operations conducted by Nema were marred by claims that some wealthy, powerful, and well-connected individuals were left to live in and conduct illegal activities in wetlands, even as other people were evicted. There should be no cases of selective eviction. Everyone must be treated equally.

To ensure wetlands are protected against degradation, we call upon the government to step up sensitisation of the populace about their importance to the ecosystem.

The populace must be made aware that destruction of wetlands is an existential threat to not only humans, but also animals, insects, and plants. It is imperative that the authorities provide alternative sources of livelihood for those who previously earned a living from doing destructive activities on wetlands.

This will prevent them from returning to the wetlands where they were evicted, as has happened before. A case in point is Nyombe Wetland, where farmers, who had previously been evicted and the wetland restored, returned in 2025, claiming that the government had reneged on its promise of providing them alternative sources of livelihood.

We also call upon Nema enforcers and the police officers who accompany them to be humane while handling the encroachers.

The authorities should also consider giving those who have cultivated crops in wetlands a grace period to harvest them.