Category: Daily Monitor

The government has directed schools across the country to strictly enforce Ebola prevention measures as learners return for second term today amid concerns over the Ebola outbreak.

The Ministry of Education and Sports said it will deploy teams of experts to schools starting today to monitor compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) recently issued by the Ministry of Health to prevent the spread of the deadly viral disease in learning institutions.

In an interview yesterday, Dr Joyce Kaducu, the pre-State Minister for Primary Education, urged school managers, teachers, parents and transport operators to fully adhere to the health guidelines to ensure the safety of learners and staff.

‘We have just been discussing the issue of confirming the opening of the second term for our children, and knowing that this is a very important term where learners have to concentrate and teachers have to intensify learning, yet it is opening at a time when the country has registered five cases of Ebola,’ Dr Kaducu said.

‘I want to inform the stakeholders, especially school managers, that once the children report back, they should follow and critically adhere to guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health. Do not allow visitors, provide hand-washing facilities, ensure that all learners are screened, and if anybody is found with fever or any sign of Ebola, alert health workers at the nearest health facilities for guidance,’ she added.

Dr Kaducu urged the public to remain calm, saying the outbreak will be manageable if preventive measures are followed.

‘Unlike Coronavirus, Ebola is a little bit easier to manage. The contact cases have been followed, isolated, and screened every now and then,’ she said.

Under the Health ministry’s SOPs, schools are required to establish temperature screening points at entrances and restrict access to anyone displaying Ebola-like symptoms.

The guidelines also direct schools to provide hand washing facilities with clean water and soap at classroom entrances, dormitories, dining halls, toilets, and staff rooms. Schools are further expected to regularly disinfect classrooms, dormitories, toilets, bathrooms, school vehicles, and frequently touched surfaces.

Other measures include enforcing regular hand washing, ensuring proper waste disposal, minimising non-essential gatherings and assemblies, avoiding physical contact such as handshakes and hugs, and setting aside isolation areas for suspected Ebola cases.

Schools have also been advised to conduct routine health monitoring of learners and staff while sensitising the school community to avoid contact with body fluids such as blood, saliva, sweat, vomit, urine, and stool.

The ministry directed schools to immediately report any suspected Ebola cases to the nearest health facility, Village Health Team (VHT), or Community Health Extension Worker.

According to the Health Ministry guidelines, operators of taxis, buses, boda bodas, ferries, and boats must ensure the availability of handwashing facilities or alcohol-based sanitisers at boarding points such as taxi parks, bus parks and docking sites.

Transporters are also required to disinfect vehicles regularly, display Ebola prevention messages.

Construction works on the Masaka City Hall have finally begun after a decade of waiting. The delay in constructing the Shs15b hall was partly blamed on a dispute over the ownership of the piece of land on Kitabiro-Kizungu Hill, which was chosen to host the project.

However, this dispute was settled early this year, with the district authorities handing over the title deed for the 3.2 acre piece of land to the city leadership, paving the way for the construction works.

The construction works, which are expected to last two years, are being undertaken by Hanan Contractors Limited. Masaka City Clerk Daniel Kaweesi said the hall will have three floors, which will be built in phases, and the first phase is going to cost Shs4.7b.

He said they would commence the works with Shs1.2 billion that was raised from sale of the former Mayor’s Garden. Mr Kaweesi thanked district leaders for surrendering the land to pave the way for works.

‘The construction works were delayed due to the engagements we had with the district authorities to give us this piece of land, which was initially registered under the district’s name,” he told Daily Monitor at the weekend.

Masaka City Mayor Florence Namayanja said the site chosen for the project has historical significance because the first governor for Masaka during the colonial times had an office in the same area.

‘This very place housed the office of the governor, and it has the mark stone that indicates the same. We managed to secure the title deed, and we are going to use our connections everywhere to secure more funds to add on what we already have to complete the project in the set time frame,’ Ms Namayanja added.

Ms Josephine Nabakooza, the Masaka City assistant resident commissioner, urged the contractor to ensure there is value for the money.

‘Masaka City offices are scattered in different buildings; we think the completion of this project will help to bring all workers under one roof,’ she added.

Masaka City leaders are currently operating in different locations, with mayors’ offices on Edward Avenue, while the town clerk operates from another building on Elgin Street in Masaka City.

Other city departments are scattered across different buildings in the city, which sometimes affects the quick execution of city business. For nearly a decade, Masaka leaders have mulled over the idea of erecting a multi-billion-dollar spacious city hall to accommodate all offices under one roof.

Masaka City Council and the district leaders have, since 2020, been bickering over the ownership of Kitabiro land after the Ministry of Local Government issued the first guidelines that directed that most properties within the city boundaries should be taken by cities where they are located-a decision Masaka District leaders opposed.

The unfolding speakership drama is no longer merely about who occupies the top chair of Parliament. It has become a revealing portrait of how power operates in Uganda: cautiously, indirectly, and often through proxies.

The sudden emergence of Democratic Party (DP) president general Norbert Mao in this tense political drama has raised a fascinating possibility: perhaps his role was never to win the speakership, but to challenge a political dominance many insiders appeared unwilling to confront themselves.

At the dusk of the 11th Parliament, it appeared almost impossible that anyone would unseat or even seriously challenge former Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among. Over time, she had accumulated immense political and financial influence, strong enough to intimidate potential rivals.

She had cultivated alliances across regional political blocs and traversed the country alongside President Museveni during the 2026 presidential campaigns. All this positioned her as a powerful pillar within the ruling party. With this growing perception of inevitability, the National Resistance Movement’s Central Executive Committee, and its leaning pressure group, Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), initially endorsed her candidature. Among seemed destined to lead Parliament for a decade, much like some of her predecessors. Yet, only months later, both political entities dramatically withdrew their support. Even then, she appeared to have no equally formidable challenger from within the NRM.

When the President publicly annulled her sole candidature during the Kyankwanzi retreat for newly elected NRM Members of Parliament, the political atmosphere shifted dramatically. The announcement suddenly breathed life into Mao’s speakership ambitions. Museveni’s directive effectively closed what had satirically been treated as a ‘bedroom debate’ between the two contenders, Mao and Among. It increasingly appeared that Mao’s growing presence in the conversation carried a political purpose that would gradually unfold. His role seemed designed not necessarily to secure the speakership, but to puncture the aura of inevitability that had begun to surround Among.

Looking at how dramatically the speakership race later twisted, with Among, once viewed as the dominant frontrunner, eventually bowing out while facing investigations into alleged corruption, illicit enrichment, and money laundering, one begins to understand why some observers believe sections of the State had become increasingly uncomfortable with the scale of her public image and political influence. But who would bell the cat? Mao’s invitation into what Among described as the NRM ‘bedroom’ did not appear accidental. Mao is outspoken, legally trained, media-savvy, and politically fearless. He has manoeuvred through some of the DP’s most turbulent internal battles and survived the political storm which accompanied the emergence of the National Unity Platform (NUP), which ended the careers of many politicians, especially in Buganda.

Unlike many figures within the NRM, Mao arguably had less to lose socially by openly unsettling entrenched power centres. Over the years, he has developed a thick skin against public criticism and ridicule. At one point, he even branded himself ‘a one-man army’ against NUP Robert Kyagulanyi’s ‘foot soldiers.’ His sudden proximity to the speakership race instantly disrupted the assumption that Among’s position was politically untouchable. But Mao’s candidature may also have represented something deeper: a signal from unseen power brokers. In Ugandan politics, names are often floated not necessarily to win positions, but to send messages.

Mao’s sudden mention in the speakership conversation may therefore have reflected growing dissatisfaction with Among within sections of the NRM, without those factions directly confronting her themselves. Ugandan politics has long relied on indirect warfare. Politically sensitive confrontations have often been fought through intermediaries, factions, and strategic alliances rather than direct combat. Whether Mao truly sought the speakership may ultimately matter less than the role he played in the unfolding drama itself. His presence normalised public scrutiny of a figure many had previously treated as politically unassailable.

The bail hearing for former Butambala County MP Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi and 24 co-accused was adjourned to June 1 after state prosecutors said they were attending the Annual Prosecutors’ Symposium in Kampala.

The three-day symposium, running at Hotel Africana under the theme ‘Enhancing Professionalism for Responsive Prosecution Services,’ has drawn prosecutors from across the country.

The accused, remanded at Kitalya Mini Max Prison, Naguru Remand Home, and Luzira Women’s Prison, were due to appear before Justice Susan Okalany at the International Crimes Division of the High Court to seek temporary release pending trial.

Court was told that several prosecutors handling the case were at the symposium, prompting the adjournment.

Kivumbi, who also serves as NUP vice president for Central Uganda, was arrested on January 21, 2026, and later charged in the Chief Magistrates Court in Butambala with terrorism offences under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

His co-accused were initially charged with incitement to violence and malicious damage to property following arrests between January 14 and 20, 2026. The prosecution later amended the charge sheet to jointly charge all suspects with terrorism-related offences.

In their joint bail application, the accused argue they have spent months on remand without being committed to the High Court for trial, while the prosecution cites ongoing investigations.

‘The applicants have on several occasions appeared before the Chief Magistrates Court of Butambala but have not yet been committed for trial and no hearing date has been fixed and the matter is characterised by procrastination on account of ongoing investigations,’ court documents state.

The applicants contend that the offence is only triable by the High Court and is therefore bailable by that court.

In an affidavit, Kivumbi described himself as a law-abiding citizen with strong community ties and no prior convictions.

‘I have good antecedents, with no criminal record of conviction, and I am a law-abiding citizen who not only upholds the rule of law but a fervent and ardent defender of the same,’ he stated.

He told court he has homes in Wakiso and Butambala districts and would comply with any bail conditions.

‘I undertake to abide by all bail conditions that this Honourable Court may impose and I will not abscond from trial,’ Kivumbi said.

The former MP also said his continued detention had affected his public and political work. He served Butambala County in Parliament for 15 years and once chaired Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE).

The defence presented Leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi and NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya as proposed sureties, arguing all applicants have permanent addresses and substantial sureties.

‘It is in the interest of justice, fairness, and the constitutional doctrine of presumption of innocence that the applicants be granted bail,’ the application states.

According to prosecution, the charges stem from alleged attacks on Kibibi Police Station and the Butambala Electoral Commission tally centre between January 11 and 17, 2026, in Gombe and Kibibi Town Council. Prosecutors allege Kivumbi and others still at large orchestrated the attacks to intimidate the government for political or economic purposes. The incidents reportedly left seven people dead.

Uganda’s newly sworn Parliament Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth-Oboth on Monday promised a more accountable, transparent and people-centred House, declaring in his maiden speech that ‘the Speaker’s chair is not a throne’ in remarks widely seen as a sharp departure from the scandal-hit tenure of his predecessor Anita Among.

Moments after taking oath at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds following a landslide 441-vote victory, Oboth-Oboth used his first address to lawmakers to promise restraint in power, tougher oversight of government spending and a reopening of Parliament to media scrutiny.

‘The Speaker’s chair is not a throne. It is a servant’s post,’ Oboth-Oboth told the newly inaugurated 12th Parliament after defeating National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Paul Mwiru, who secured 60 votes, and Democratic Party president general Norbert Mao, who garnered 15.

‘My role now is to come before you to ensure that the voices of over 48 million Ugandans who sent us here are heard, respected and protected,’ he said.

The remarks came at a politically sensitive moment for Parliament, whose public image has been badly bruised by corruption allegations, lavish spending claims and accusations of intolerance toward scrutiny during under probe Among’s tenure.

Among, who was absent from Monday’s sitting despite being eligible to vote as a legislator, has in recent weeks faced mounting public pressure following investigations into her wealth and lifestyle.

Detectives searched several of her upscale properties in Kigo, Nakasero, Ntinda, and Bukedea, while bags of Ugandan and foreign currency, along with a Rolls-Royce linked to the probe, were seized last week.

Critics had also increasingly accused Among of using her dominance over the House to swiftly pass controversial government-backed motions and bills favoured by the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), often amid fierce opposition protests.

Against that backdrop, Oboth-Oboth repeatedly stressed accountability and institutional reform in his speech.

‘Accountability begins with us,’ he said, adding: ‘In the next five years, we will hold the Executive and other government bodies accountable. We cannot hide from accountability of government resources yet we expect it from other agencies and departments. That will not work.’

The ex-minister “promised to treat each one of us with fairness as we embark on working hard to harness the public trust but know that we will require some rapid, highly visible and structural changes to be made.”

He further warned against turning Parliament into what he described as ‘a theatre for hearsay or grandstanding,’ promising debates grounded in ‘hard facts, data and sound research.’

In another notable shift, the new Speaker directly addressed Parliament’s strained relationship with the media, pledging openness and transparency after months of tensions between the legislature and Nation Media Group [NMG-Uganda] journalists.

‘An objective and ethical media are not our enemies but the public’s eye and ear,’ he said, noting that: ‘When we close our doors to the media, a negative perception is generated. If we are clean and doing a good job, why hide?’

The comments are likely to resonate strongly within Uganda’s media industry after NMG, which owns NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor newspaper, was barred from covering parliamentary activities from late 2025 during Among’s leadership.

NMG outlets only regained access to Parliament last week as public attention intensified around the unfolding investigations into Among’s lifestyle and alleged illicit enrichment.

On Monday, Oboth-Oboth -more than twice- promised a Parliament more focused on ordinary citizens rather than elite political battles.

‘Every bill… motion and every decision must directly answer to the needs of the ordinary citizens,’ he remarked.

He added: ‘Budgeting will no longer be an exercise in financial engineering and distortion. It will be a service-oriented, results-driven endeavour to deliver services to our people.’

‘Village boy cum speaker’

In a moment of personal reflection, the West Budama Central MP traced his rise from rural Tororo District to the country’s third highest office telling the gathering at Kololo that: ‘For a boy who grew up in a rural village called Muwafu in Tororo District, who hustled to attain better education and today stands before you as 12th Parliament Speaker, it could only be by divine grace and to God be the glory.’

‘My final promise to all Ugandans is that I will remain the same Oboth, not changed by the grandeur or majesty of the powerful office of the Speaker,” he remarked.

Chief Justice Flavian Zeija officially declared Oboth-Oboth Speaker after the secret ballot conducted under the watch of President Museveni.

Following the ceremony, Museveni handed him the instruments of power associated with the office, including the mace, the Ugandan flag, the Constitution, House Rules of Procedure and the Speaker’s robes, formally placing him at the helm of Uganda’s 12th Parliament.

‘I greet you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’

‘It is one of those great moments in our nation’s history… only made possible by God,’ he said, citing Isaiah 60:22 and Habakkuk 2:3.’

‘I can testify before you all gathered here today that faithful and strategic patience has brought us this far and we cannot thank God enough. I’m therefore not standing before you today in the official Speaker’s regalia accidentally but because God has made it possible.’

‘For a boy who grew up in a rural village called Muwafu in Tororo District, who hustled to attain better education and today stands before you as 12th Parliament Speaker, it could only be by divine grace and to God be the glory.’

‘I wish to thank my NRM party chairman H.E. Yoweri Museveni for the confidence and trust he showed in my abilities since 2011. Honourable members, I thank you most sincerely for entrusting me today with the highest office of being your Speaker; which responsibility I receive with utmost humility and modesty.’

‘God has spoken to Uganda through you all; the National NRM Chairperson, NRM CEC, NRM Caucus and this Parliament.’

‘To those who may not have voted for me, I will be your Speaker too.’

‘I thank my voters of West Budama for sending me to the nation.’

‘I also want to thank the leadership of the PLU, a pressure group aligned to the NRM, for their support through this journey.’

‘The Speaker’s chair is not a throne. It is a servant’s post. My role now is to come before you to ensure that the voices of over 48 million Ugandans who sent us here are heard, respected and protected.’

‘We are aware of what we’ve been going through. I pledge a corruption-free Parliament. Under my leadership, we shall cultivate a culture of absolute integrity and zero tolerance to corruption anchored in Museveni’s clarion call for a corruption-free Parliament in the next five years.’

‘Accountability begins with us. In the next five years, we will hold the Executive and other government bodies accountable. We cannot hide from accountability of government resources yet we expect it from other agencies and departments. That will not work.’

‘Under my leadership, the floor of Parliament will not be a theatre for hearsay or grandstanding. Our debates must be grounded in hard facts, data and sound research. We must be fair and objective to others as we play our oversight function.’

‘A people-centred Parliament… Every bill, every motion and every decision must directly answer to the needs of the ordinary citizens.’

‘Budgeting will no longer be an exercise in financial engineering and distortion. It will be a service-oriented, results-driven endeavour to deliver services to our people.’

‘An open Parliament… During this term, let’s appreciate that an objective and ethical media are not our enemies but the public’s eye and ear. We must maintain a transparent, decent and open Parliament. When we close our doors to the media, a negative perception is generated. If we are clean and doing a good job, why hide? I will encourage a professional and robust association with the press at all times in order to bridge the gap between the House and its people.’

‘The oversight function shouldn’t be postmortem. We need not wait for public funds to be lost. Mr President, our committees must be facilitated to work, monitor and protect resources in real time in order to propel every effort geared towards the 10-fold growth.’

‘I promise to treat each one of us with fairness as we embark on working hard to harness the public trust but know that we will require some rapid, highly visible and structural changes to be made.’

‘My final promise to all Ugandans is that I will remain the same Oboth, not changed by the grandeur or majesty of the powerful office of the Speaker.

‘Let’s serve Ugandans with honour, dignity and respect.’

Three Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) staff died Sunday evening after the vehicle they were travelling in hit an elephant along the Gulu-Kampala Highway near Karuma.

The accident happened near Murchison Falls National Park, an area known for occasional wildlife crossings.

Reports indicate the officials were travelling in a white passenger van when an elephant crossed onto the highway and was hit. Witnesses said the injured animal became aggressive after the impact, charged at the vehicle, overturned it, and trapped the occupants inside.

Videos from the scene showed the badly damaged van lying overturned by the roadside as residents and motorists rushed to respond.

Among the deceased is Robert Wamala Lumanyika, a URA tax educator widely known for his work on public tax awareness campaigns and educational programs.

By press time Monday morning, both Police and URA were yet to release statements about the incident.

Your Excellency, for generations, indigenous communities across Uganda have depended on nature for survival. In Buganda and Bugisu, coffee farmers have traditionally looked to land to grow the crop. Elsewhere, pastoral communities, like the Karimojong and Basongora, have relied on grazing land for animal husbandry before their total displacement from today’s Kidepo Valley and Queen Elizabeth national parks, respectively. Likewise, indigenous fishing communities around Lakes Edward and George and the Kazinga Channel, including a section of the Basongora who turned to fishing after government-induced displacement from their ancestral grazing lands, have historically relied on the lakes as their ‘gardens’ and ‘open fields’ for their livelihood, identity and survival.

Today, your government has proposed a ‘one-size-fits-all’ licensing approach-particularly the reported cap of 33 fishing vessel licences (FVLs) per landing site on controlled lakes. I wish to discuss this proposal because it threatens to economically suffocate long-established communities that have depended on lakes for generations. While it is true that government has a duty to regulate fisheries and protect fish stocks from depletion, there is growing concern that this approach has become excessively restrictive, punitive in a colonial-era fashion and detached from the realities of indigenous communities. The FVLs on these lakes are not mere commercial permits in the ordinary sense. In many families, they have existed for decades, albeit differently, passed from one generation to another with little change in ownership.

Families have raised children, educated generations and sustained entire communities through fishing. Your Excellency, at a meeting with selected fishing communities and other stakeholders on August 7, 2025 in Jinja, you indicated that management and control of these lakes and others would gradually return to indigenous communities, as it were before 2017. That statement gave hope to many, as it appeared to acknowledge that certain destructive fishing practices were largely associated with migratory, illegal actors who entered the lakes without historical attachment to them. Unfortunately, recent directives communicated through security and fisheries structures seem to move in the opposite direction.

At all five landing sites in Kasese, Kitagwenda, Rubirizi and Rukungiri districts, there are deeply disturbing realities. Fear, uncertainty and hopelessness are increasingly visible among the licencees, particularly the elderly. These have no realistic alternative source of livelihood. To them, the lake is not simply water, it is their garden, their inheritance and their economic foundation. Yet today, communities are being informed of drastic reductions under a uniform policy framework that appears to disregard population differences, economic realities, historical dependence and even comparative lake sizes. The concerns become even more serious when one examines the comparative geography of lakes Edward and George vis-à-vis the allocated FVLs.

Uganda’s 29 percent share of Lake Edward translates into roughly 675 square kilometres of water surface under its jurisdiction, making it nearly three times larger than Lake George, which measures about 250 square kilometres. Yet despite this disparity in size, the proposed allocation framework would grant Lake Edward only 165 FVLs, while Lake George’s landing sites would collectively receive 297 FVLs. Your Excellency, there is growing fear that this directive unintentionally fuels displacement, poverty and social instability among indigenous communities. Many Basongora families have already suffered historical displacement through conservation policies that led to the creation of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Restricting long-standing fishing livelihoods without carefully designed transitional measures risks forcing many into another cycle of economic exile.

Instead, government should conduct public participation with the affected communities to inform a needs-based and lake-sensitive licensing framework, consider fish stock assessments and prioritise indigenous fishing communities with historical dependence on the lakes before implementing drastic policy changes. Your Excellency, the Basongora and other communities around these lakes are not enemies of conservation. They are among the people most interested in preserving the lakes because their survival depends on them. I therefore humbly appeal to Your Excellency to reconsider the current fisheries directives and ensure that Uganda adopts a fair, consultative and proportionate licensing system that protects both fish stocks and indigenous livelihoods.

When I became a mother a few years ago, I quickly realised that motherhood was far more complex and demanding than I had imagined. As the mother of two energetic boys, I discovered how different real motherhood is from the polished version that society often expects us to project. Behind the smiles and carefully maintained routines lies the true work of motherhood: the exhausting school runs, the struggle to balance career and family life, sleepless nights, and the deep love that keeps mothers going even when they feel completely drained.

One of the most emotional aspects of becoming a mother was gaining a new understanding of my own mother. For years, I saw her only through the eyes of a daughter; her strength appeared natural and effortless. However, after becoming a mother myself, I realised that her strength was a choice she made every single day, even when she was exhausted. I now understand the silent sacrifices she made, the prayers whispered in the dark, and the emotional burdens she carried to ensure her children felt safe and supported. Motherhood has given me a new appreciation for her love and resilience.

To every mother who has spent sleepless nights rocking a crying baby, I am with you in understanding the overwhelming exhaustion. Those nights can feel endless, especially when children refuse to settle. It often resembles a marathon with no finish line. But as one tired mother to another, take comfort in knowing that these challenging stages eventually pass.

For mothers constantly questioning whether they are doing enough, please remember that your worries already reflect how deeply you care. There is no perfect guide to motherhood, and no one gets everything right all the time. As long as your children are surrounded by love, you are giving them what matters most. Mothers often underestimate themselves, but children do not need perfection; they simply need love, care, and presence.

Motherhood also changes how women see themselves. Many mothers struggle to recognise their bodies after childbirth. Some mourn the version of themselves they once knew before pregnancy, sleepless nights, and endless responsibilities changed everything. Our bodies deserve kindness, not criticism. They carried life, endured pain, survived exhaustion, and continue to show up every day for the people we love. Mothers should speak to themselves with the same compassion they naturally offer their children.

There are also the difficult moments that often go unspoken; days when patience runs thin and ‘mom guilt’ feels unbearable. Every mother has moments she regrets. Yet children tend to be far more forgiving than mothers are toward themselves. Mothers need to remember that one difficult day does not define their love or their ability to be good parents.

The emotional weight of motherhood can sometimes feel overwhelming. Many women bear the needs of everyone around them while neglecting their own mental and emotional well-being. However, caring for a mother’s mental health is essential because the well-being of a family is closely connected to the well-being of the mother who holds it together. Asking for help or admitting exhaustion is not a sign of weakness; it is a form of honesty.

To the mothers who feel like they are falling apart, please know you are not alone. Every mother experiences moments of deep exhaustion, emotional strain, and self-doubt. There are days when everything feels too loud, too demanding, and too heavy. Yet mothers somehow continue to gather strength and show up for their families. On those difficult days, mothers deserve to extend the same grace to themselves that they so freely give to everyone else.

There are also mothers carrying profound grief. Some mourn the children they have lost, while others bear heartbreak that few people fully comprehend. Their strength is extraordinary. For mothers navigating their journey without their own mothers beside them, the pain can be particularly heavy. There is an ache in wanting advice, comfort, or reassurance from the one person who once provided it so freely. Yet every act of love they pour into their own children becomes a continuation of the love they once received.

To my own mother, thank you for every sacrifice, every prayer, and every moment of care that has shaped my life. Motherhood has taught me that a mother’s love truly never ends.

At its core, motherhood is not about perfection; it is about the invisible work done quietly every day, often without recognition. It is about love, sacrifice, resilience, and showing up even when exhausted.

Mothers should take a moment to consider the lives they are building and remember this truth: to their children, they mean the world. And they are more than enough.

Members of the 12th Parliament convene today at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds to elect their Speaker and Deputy Speaker for the next five years.

Mr Timothy Chemonges, the executive director of the Centre for Policy Analysis (CEPA), which oversees Parliament Watch that in turn monitors House proceedings, says this will be the first business conducted in the 12th Parliament.

This implies no other business shall be conducted until the Speaker and Deputy are elected.

‘While politics and party interests usually play a big role, the actual election is supposed to follow a clear constitutional and procedural path,’ he says.

Who qualifies to vote?

In essence, the exercise will have 528 eligible voters out of the expected 529 new MPs. This means the voting pool will be one member short since Kalangala District Woman MP-elect Helen Nakimuli died on April 19 and has not been replaced.

The voting pool is drawn from the newly elected MPs, who include District and City Woman MPs, plus five MPs representing each of the Special Interest Groups (SIGs) of Workers, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), Youth, Older Persons, and another 10 for the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF).

The election of the Speaker and Deputy are set out in Chapter Six of the 1995 Constitution, under Article 82(2), which states: ‘The Speaker and Deputy Speaker shall be elected by Members of Parliament from among their number.’

The Administration of Parliament Act sets out the Rules of Procedure of Parliament with a set of guidelines that define the processes and how parliamentary business is conducted. Rule 5 and 6 of the Rules of Procedure of Parliament detail the framework and judicial oversight done in the process, stipulate the nomination grounds of a candidate, and outline the qualities to be met for someone to be deemed eligible.

These rules also show the voting process and how an elected person assumes the office of the Speaker and Deputy. For instance, the rule not only prohibits anyone serving as Vice President, Prime Minister, and Minister from vying for the said position but also bars publicly campaigning or soliciting votes through their agents.

Election of Speaker, Deputy

This process will, according to the dictates in Rule 5(5) of Procedure of Parliament, be presided over by the Chief Justice Flavian Zeija. The presiding officer will then officially kick-start the election process by inviting nominations of candidates interested in serving as Speaker of the 12th Parliament. This will be done by MPs present in the House.

For every candidate that will be suggested, the proposer is expected to read out the candidate’s background, experience on legislative matters, and show grounds that make the proposed candidate eligible. This will then be seconded by another MP who supports the nomination.

‘Members nominate candidates from among themselves, the nomination must be seconded, and the person nominated must accept,’ Mr Chemonges said.

Voting process

This process starts with the Clerk to Parliament doing an on-site verification of the exact number of eligible voters or MPs present. It is at this stage that ballot boxes are brought, verified to show they are empty, before they are sealed ahead of the voting process.

The Clerk proceeds to invite and issue ballot papers to eligible MPs physically present, who then go on and express their secret choice on that ballot before it is cast into the ballot box. This process goes on for all the available directly elected MPs and ends when the presiding officer declares the voting frame closed.

Once closed, the Clerk to Parliament then does a physical loud count of the votes cast in full view of everyone present and before a candidate’s designated agent.

The tallied results are then announced and the winner declared to all members present. If there is an equal split of the votes cast between the top two or three candidates in the race for either Speaker or Deputy, Rule 5(13)(k) demands that the candidates in the tie shall be subjected to a repeat of the voting process using fresh ballot papers until the vote causes a split to determine the winner.

‘After that, the Speaker takes the oath and assumes office. The new Speaker then presides over the election of the Deputy Speaker, which follows almost the same process,’ Mr Chemonges said.

The elected speaker will take over the reins of the presiding officer from the Chief Justice.

This, therefore, means the elected Speaker will oversee the process of electing his or her deputy this afternoon.

Rule 5(18) of the Rules of Procedure of Parliament states: ‘The oath of Speaker or Deputy Speaker shall be administered by the President or a person authorized by the President.’

Upon taking the oath, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker will then be presented with the Mace, the Uganda flag, the Coat of Arms, the Speaker’s robes, the Constitution of Uganda, and the Rules of Procedure of Parliament.

Rule 11 of the Rules of Procedure dictates that ‘where one person is nominated, he or she shall be declared elected and conducted to the Speaker’s Chair.’

At around 11pm, Miriam Nakato quietly gets out of bed to check the front door one more time. The 34-year-old mother of three, who lives in Kyaliwajjala, a Kampala suburb, says this has become part of her nightly routine. Before sleeping, she checks the padlocks several times and reminds the children never to open the gate for strangers.

‘Nowadays you hear too many things: kidnaps, murders, robberies, accidents. Even when your children are inside the house, your mind is not at peace,’ Nakato shares.

Like many Ugandans, she says anxiety has quietly seeped into everyday life. Rising living costs, disturbing crime stories, political tension and an endless stream of alarming updates on social media have left people carrying an invisible emotional weight.

Parenting watchfully

Nakato no longer allows her 10-year-old daughter to walk alone to a nearby shop, something she once considered normal. ‘You cannot fully trust anyone,’ she says. ‘Even when children are at school, you keep worrying.’

Across Kampala, many parents now live in a constant state of alertness. Conversations about safety have become routine: children are taught early not to speak to strangers, not to accept lifts, and to memorise emergency contacts. For working parents, fear often clashes with economic reality.

‘You cannot stop working just because you are scared,’ says Joseph Kaggwa, an accountant in Ntinda and father of two. ‘You leave your children with a maid or at school and spend the whole day hoping everything is okay.’ He constantly checks in with his wife and follows school WhatsApp groups closely.

Sarah Nanyanzi, a teacher at St Mary’s Junior Academy in Wakiso, says schools are feeling the pressure too. ‘If a school van is delayed by 20 minutes, phones start ringing.’ Schools have tightened security and monitor pickups more closely. ‘People are more fearful now than before, and children also absorb that fear,’ she notes.

Hidden exhaustion

Beyond parenting concerns, quiet anxiety is also surfacing among young professionals navigating career pressure and an unpredictable future.

At a café in Nakasero, 29-year-old communications officer Sharon Atuhaire scrolls through X during her lunch break. Within minutes, she encounters stories about layoffs, corruption scandals and violent incidents. ‘You open your phone for a short break and suddenly your mood changes, but you still have to return to your desk and be productive,’ she says with a laugh.

Atuhaire says many young professionals feel mentally exhausted even when they appear composed. ‘There is pressure to keep pushing, work hard, plan your future, support family members, and stay optimistic even when everything feels unstable.’ Her sleep and concentration have changed over the past year, especially after heavy exposure to online news. ‘Sometimes you carry anxiety you cannot even explain. You just feel mentally heavy.’

For 32-year-old entrepreneur Brian Ssenyonga, uncertainty comes from economic pressure. The owner of a small printing business in Kisaasi says customer numbers fluctuate while operating costs rise.

‘You wake up every day trying to survive, then you add all the bad news, and it becomes mentally draining.’ He adds that many hide their struggles because vulnerability is often mistaken for weakness.

When news takes a mental toll

Mental health experts say constant exposure to distressing information gradually affects emotional well-being.

Counsellor and psychologist Angela Nyonyozi explains that many Ugandans are experiencing news anxiety; emotional fatigue caused by repeated exposure to disturbing content.

‘The human brain is not designed to constantly process fear. When people consume alarming news every day without emotional breaks, the body remains in a prolonged state of stress.’ Symptoms include poor sleep, irritability, panic, emotional numbness and difficulty concentrating.

She notes that social media and WhatsApp groups intensify fear because information spreads rapidly, often unverified. ‘People wake up and immediately check distressing messages, and others sleep while scrolling through graphic stories.’ While staying informed is important, overexposure can create a sense that danger is constant. ‘Your mind starts believing danger is everywhere all the time.’

Her advice is to create emotional boundaries around news consumption, especially at night. ‘You do not have to absorb every disturbing update to remain informed.’

Seeking comfort in faith

In a country where faith plays a central role, many Ugandans turn to religion for emotional reassurance.

Ruth Kemigisa, a fruit vendor, says prayer has become her main coping tool. ‘When things feel uncertain, prayer keeps me calm. You may not control what is happening, but faith helps you feel less alone.’

Pastor Peter Muwanguzi of a Pentecostal church in Rubaga says he increasingly counsels people dealing with fear, hopelessness and exhaustion.

‘Many are worried about the future, their safety, finances, families.’ He believes faith provides grounding. ‘As Ugandans, we have always relied on God during difficult moments. Faith reminds people that hard times do not last forever.’

Emotional survival

Many Ugandans are adopting practical coping strategies beyond their faith. For instance, Atuhaire has decided to stop watching the news after 10pm. ‘I realised I was going to bed angry or anxious. Now, I either read a book or watch something light before sleeping.’ Nakato, on the other hand, avoids exposing her children to distressing television content, such as road crashes or violent scenes.

Humour remains a crucial coping mechanism as well. On social media, memes and jokes often emerge shortly after distressing national events. ‘Ugandans joke about everything,’ Ssenyonga observes. ‘Sometimes, laughter is how people survive mentally.’ However, beneath the humour lies a sense of emotional fatigue.

Nyonyozi warns that coping does not always equate to healing. ‘Some people continue to function while being emotionally overwhelmed. Human beings are adept at adapting, but adaptation does not necessarily mean wellness.’

Carrying on, one day at a time

Coping often begins with small behavioural changes, such as reducing late-night news exposure, talking openly about feelings, and allowing oneself to rest mentally without feeling guilty.

According to the 2025 State of Uganda Population Report by the Ministry of Health, approximately 24.2 percent of adults and 22.9 percent of children are affected by mental health conditions. Experts emphasise that coping is possible. ‘It is not about avoiding the world,’ Nyonyozi says, ‘but about staying informed without becoming overwhelmed.’

How to help a friend who is silently struggling

You do not need to be a therapist to offer support. Sometimes the smallest gestures matter most.

Do not bypass the discomfort. Instead of ‘Do not worry,’ try: ‘I can see you are going through a lot. I am here.’

Listen without rushing to fix. Many anxious people just need to feel heard, not problem-solved.

Check in quietly. A message saying ‘No pressure to reply, but thinking of you’ can feel lighter than ‘How are you?’

Offer specific help. Instead of ‘Let me know if you need anything,’ try: ‘I am heading to the market. What can I bring you?’

Stay consistent. Anxiety does not follow a schedule. Regular check-ins matter more than crisis responses.