Category: Daily Monitor

Uganda Railways Corporation (URC), in partnership with the Ministry of Works and Safe Way Right Way, has launched a safety campaign dubbed ‘Safe Tracks. Safe Roads. Safe Lives’ aimed at averting railway crashes at level crossings.

URC Managing Director Mr Benon Kajuna said the campaign targets motorists, drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and communities living and operating along the railway reserve.

‘Accidents involving trains and road users in Uganda and globally are relatively few compared with those involving other modes of transport, especially road transport; however, they can be destructive when they occur, resulting in serious injury, loss of life and property, and the damage they cause,’ Mr. Kajuna said.

He expressed concern over rising disregard for safety at crossings. ‘We have noted with concern that many road users continue to disregard instructions from the level crossing guards, pedestrians along the corridor and on the railway lines,’ Mr. Kajuna said.

As a short-term measure, he announced that all high-risk level crossings across the country will be fitted with manual barriers. ‘All high-risk level crossings across the country will be fitted with manual barriers as a short-term safety measure to strengthen control and reduce the risk of accidents, while long-term solutions are being pursued, with the automation of level crossings remaining our long-term objective,’ he added.

The campaign follows several incidents and near misses at level crossings.

On December 19, 2025, a fatal crash at the Wankoko level crossing in Bugolobi, a Kampala suburb, involving a Commuter Train Service travelling from Kampala to Namanve and a private motor vehicle claimed the life of American national Savannah Gardner.

Last month, a bus carrying students and teachers from Mwebaze High School which was coming from Mukono towards Jinja collided with a train at Namumira Level Crossing in Mukono District, resulting in one fatality and multiple injuries.

Sgt David Mwanje, the Officer in-Charge of Railway Police at Kyetume and Namumira level crossings, who was seen in a viral video flagging down the ill-fated bus, recounted the incident.

‘The train had reached and had reduced its speed because there is a stage around that place where passengers embark on the train,’ Sgt Mwanje said. He added that after realising the bus was going to hit the train, he survived by falling into a trench.

He said he had stopped taxis, trucks and boda boda riders, but the bus failed to stop. Sgt Mwanje theorized that the driver refused to stop because he had ‘some issues’, or thought that he was a policeman on a routine traffic stop that would see him penalized.

Earlier, URC Spokesperson Mr John Linnon Ssengendo said preliminary findings indicated that the bus driver failed to comply with traffic instructions at the crossing.

Authorities say the ‘Safe Tracks. Safe Roads. Safe Lives’ campaign will include public sensitization, increased deployment of crossing guards, and stricter enforcement at high-risk points along the railway corridor.

Ntare School, one of the country’s most prestigious secondary schools and a cradle of some of the region’s most influential leaders, celebrated 70 years of excellence, late July, with the anniversary serving as both a reflection on its distinguished past and a renewed commitment to shaping future generations.

The celebrations brought together hundreds of former students, education leaders, government officials and development partners to honour the school’s legacy, while mobilising support for its future.

Current headteacher Saul Rwampororo said the milestone goes beyond commemorating the institution’s history. ‘This anniversary is about reconnection and shared purpose,’ Rwampororo said during the launch of the celebrations.

‘It gives us a moment to reflect on our proud history while also engaging alumni and partners to help shape the next chapter of the nature story.’ He said the school remains committed to the values of discipline, integrity and service that have defined it for seven decades.

According to Mr Rwampororo, the anniversary presented an opportunity to strengthen partnerships that will support infrastructure development, mentorship programmes and improved learning opportunities for future generations.

The celebrations were also a rallying point for the Ntare School Old Boys Association (NSOBA), whose leaders say the occasion is a call for alumni to invest in the institution that helped shape their lives.

NSOBA chairman Apollo Kashanku described the 70-year milestone as more than a celebration of past achievements.

‘As Ntare marks 70 years of excellence, we are reflecting on a legacy built on discipline, integrity and service. More importantly, we are reaffirming our commitment to the future, inviting all alumni and partners to be part of what comes next,’ he said.

Kashanku said the celebrations offered former students spread across Uganda and the world an opportunity to reconnect while inspiring the next generation of leaders.

Over the years, Ntare School has earned a reputation as one of Uganda’s leading centres of learning and leadership.

Its alumni include President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and former Rwandan President Paul Kagame, whose time at the school has often been cited as a symbol of the institution’s regional influence.

The school has produced a long list of prominent public figures, including former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, former deputy premier Eriya Kategaya, former ministers John Nasasira, Elioda Tumwesigye, Tarsis Kabwegyere, Fred Ruhindi, James Nsaba Buturo, Richard Kaijuka, current Internal Affairs Minister Prof Ephraim Kamuntu, Prof Charles Kwesiga, Lt Gen Fred Mugira, and many others.

Other distinguished alumni include former Rwandan Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Mazimhaka, educationist Prof Elly Katunguka and retired Justice Jotham Tumwesigye.

The school’s influence extends beyond politics, with former students making significant contributions in medicine, engineering, academia, diplomacy, literature, entrepreneurship and sports.

With its enduring motto, Better Your Best, Ntare School hopes the platinum jubilee will inspire both its old boys and current students to continue pursuing excellence while preserving the values that have defined it as one of East Africa’s most celebrated schools.

Members of Parliament from the Lango Sub-region on Monday toured the Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira City to get first-hand assurance that the mega facility will be ready to host matches during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

The delegation, led by Lango Parliamentary Group Chairperson Mr. Patrick Ogwang Obura, inspected the sprawling construction site, assessed workmanship, engaged the contractor’s technical team, and listened to concerns from the local community.

What they found, the lawmakers said, was encouraging. The Shs470 billion stadium being built by Egyptian firm SAMCO National Construction Company is advancing steadily.

“We have gone round it. We have seen the work in progress. We have seen very steady work that is promising,” Mr Ogwang Obura told journalists at the site.

He thanked President Museveni for fulfilling a pledge to the sub-region and commended the contractor.

“As chairman, Lango Parliamentary Group, once again, I want to thank the President for promising Lango and for fulfilling it. You can stand here and see a mega project of the stadium. We also want to thank the leadership of SAMCO, and the technical team, for ensuring that this project is delivered,” Mr. Ogwang Obura said.

Timeline pushes into 2027

Project Manager Eng. Mohammed Nazih told the legislators that works had reached the 75 percent mark as of Monday.

But MPs cautioned that the initial December 2026 completion date cited to Parliament may no longer hold.

“The Project Manager, we have seen the progress you’re making. It is promising, though in Parliament, we are told by December you would be done with this project. But from this visit, we are now learning that this may go up to January or February,” one legislator noted.

The contractor’s revised schedule shows construction began on May 3, with completion now set for February 2, 2027 – just weeks before AFCON kicks off.

Access road and community concerns

The inspection also exposed infrastructural gaps. While a 1.8-kilometre access road to the stadium has been built, MPs found its width inadequate for the expected traffic of vehicles and spectators.

To address this, the Lango Parliamentary Group said it will push for negotiations with Uganda Prisons Service to acquire neighboring land to widen the road.

Lawmakers also flagged the need for a formal profiling and compensation exercise for community members affected by the project, to ensure all legal and social obligations are honoured before momentum toward AFCON 2027 is lost.

The group thanked the technical teams, contractor, and local community for their cooperation, describing the stadium as more than infrastructure – “a unifying symbol for football fans and residents alike” – that will rise under the watch of the City Mayor and the Resident City Commissioner.

About the project

The Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium is financed by the Government of Uganda, with the National Council of Sports as client. President Yoweri Museveni flagged off construction of the 20,000-seat facility on January 29, following the contract signing with SAMCO on December 6, 2024. The contractor was given 20 months to deliver.

Once complete, the stadium will feature a 20,000-seat main bowl with an athletics track, training facilities with at least two changing rooms, a 2,000-seat multi-sport indoor arena, a 25-metre semi-Olympic swimming pool, and outdoor courts for basketball, netball, volleyball and badminton.

Other components include a 1,000-vehicle parking facility, a fully furnished clubhouse, a 60-room hostel, five sports pitches, a borehole, plus roads, utilities, ICT systems, a sewerage treatment plant, landscaping, perimeter fencing and security systems as Lira positions itself to host continental football in 2027.

At least 25 percent of learners in Ugandan schools miss school due to violence, according to a report by a lecturer at Makerere University.

Eddy Joshua Walakira, a professor of Social Work, Children and Youth, says corporal punishment tops the list of forms of violence meted out at school.

‘Despite various interventions to end violence against children, the vice is still very much entrenched. A quarter or 25 percent of school children, or 1 in every 4 girls and 1 in every 6 boys, miss school due to violence,’ Mr Walakira said.

‘The most common form of violence is corporal punishment, followed by emotional violence. Sexual violence is not widespread, but mostly it affects girls, although some boys are also victimised. There is also a lot of bullying.’

Mr Walakira’s report came during a two-day National Good School Symposium organised by Raising Voices from June 30 to July 1, 2026. The symposium was held under the theme, ‘Together creating good schools where every child can thrive.’

According to Prof Walakira, violence within the school environment affects both boys and girls and is mainly triggered by teachers obsessed with good grades, followed by some students.

‘Violence is mostly from teachers within the school system, but peer-to-peer violence is also common,’ he added.

‘The way forward is to improve the school culture to do away with the belief that children can’t perform well without being caned.’

He explained that violence against children affects their academic performance and general growth, emphasising the need to prevent the vice effectively to promote a violence-free school environment.

According to him, sensitising teachers and learners and reactivating measures to punish the perpetrators of violence could help solve the problem at hand.

He advised schools to embrace positive discipline to substitute violent corrective measures.

Prof Walakira’s call is for teachers to strive to find out the cause of a child’s poor performance, so that necessary support can be rendered.

‘Find out why the child is performing poorly. It could be that the teaching is not good, or the student comes to school when they are hungry, or the learning environment is not conducive. There could be a whole range of factors,’ he explained.

In response, the Minister of State for Primary Education, Ms Phyllis Chemutai, acknowledged that violence against children remains an issue of concern.

‘Recently, a teacher boxed a student to death. Rape and sexual harassment still exist,’ he said.

‘My prayer is that the teachers respect their code of conduct and respect girls. Their work is to teach, not to rape or harass the learners. During my school days, some teachers could send girls to take books to their homes and end up abusing them sexually. The question is, how do we build a culture where violence is rejected even when no one is watching?’

Mr Hassan Mulusi, a technical advisor on violence against children at Raising Voices organisation, asked educationists to be intentional in ending violence against children.

‘Government has made commitments to prevent violence against children in schools, civil society has interventions in schools, and we would like to share how those interventions are impacting a child. The learners, too, have a role to play in ending violence,’ he said.

Mr Mulusi noted that the good school tool kits that Raising Voice developed and distributed to about 2500 primary and secondary schools in a bid to end the issue at hand.

‘The kits have empowered learners with information that encourages them to speak out in case they are confronted with violence among others,’ he said.

UNICEF report

A recent United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report mirrors Mr Walakira’s findings, showing that most children in Uganda have experienced physical violence that threatens and halts their holistic and positive development – 59 per cent of girls and 68 per cent of boys.

Mr Mondo Kyateeka, assistant Commissioner for Youth and Children’s Affairs at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, said it is the responsibility of everybody to ensure that children are safe, thrive, learn, and progress through school.

‘All of us must play our part. Things don’t just happen, but they are made to happen. We must be the architects of a non -violent ecosystem that will support children to stay in school,’ he said while wondering why only about 800,000 children complete the primary school level cycle in a country where 2 million babies are born annually.

‘You need to ask District Education Officers, school inspectors, the teachers, teachers, and parents, are we being accountable?’ he questioned.

Ms Blessing Nahurira, S6, St Joseph’s Secondary School Nkoni, Lwengo district, says a good school goes beyond having good buildings and large compounds, but promotes a conducive environment where students are given platforms to share their ideas and concerns.

Violence-free environment

Doreen Kemigisa of Tooro High School in Fort Portal City says a good school is violence-free and embraces positive discipline.

Child rights in Uganda are primarily protected by the 1995 Constitution, the Children Act, and key regional and international treaties.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which Uganda ratified in 1990, commits to protecting children’s rights to survival, development, protection, and participation, and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC).

Police in Jinja City have arrested a 41-year-old man accused of impersonating a freelance journalist with Nation Media Group (NMG), the parent company of Daily Monitor and NTV Uganda, among others.

The suspect, identified as Edwin Mayende, a resident of Buyanja B Village, Bukungu Town Council in Buyende District, was arrested in the Golf Course area of Jinja City on Monday.

Among the documents found on him was a curriculum vitae (CV) indicating that he studied at Elgon View Primary School, Seeta College Mukono and Tororo Progressive Academy. He later attended the Uganda Institute of Business and Media Studies in Kampala, where he obtained a diploma in Business, Media and Journalism.

Kiira Regional Police spokesperson James Mubi said Mr Mayende was found in possession of forged documents.

‘He has forged documents, including a national ID and a workers’ ID. He has been masquerading as a freelance journalist working with Daily Monitor,’ Mr. Mubi said.

Police said they moved to verify his claims with both the local bureau and NMG headquarters.

‘We engaged the bureau chief of Jinja City, Daily Monitor, to verify whether he was a staff member, but he had never been part of the organisation. We also went ahead to verify with the headquarters in Kampala, and he was not in the database,’ Mr Mubi said.

A backpack containing several items was also recovered and is being examined as part of the investigation.

‘Our Crime Intelligence team is thoroughly interrogating him because we have to establish other criminal activities he may have been involved in,’ Mr Mubi said.

Mr Mubi warned against impersonating journalists or using forged documents to commit crimes.

‘These are the people who snatch mobile phones and can even go ahead to rape our people. These are the people involved in criminal activities,’ he said.

He said the suspect will be arraigned once investigations are complete.

‘When our inquiry is complete, he is going to be taken to court and remanded to Kitalya,’ Mr. Mubi said.

He also appealed to young people to shun crime. ‘This is an appeal especially to the youth: be productive and do lawful activities. You will not succeed if your aim is to commit crime,’ he said.

Mr. Mubi said police are committed to keeping Jinja safe for residents and visitors.

‘Our aim is to make Jinja the number one tourist destination in Africa. That is why we do not treat any case as minor. Whether a case is minor or major, to us it is major,’ he said.

For decades, Uganda’s financial system revolved around banks. It is little wonder that people had no choice but to endure long queues to pay school fees, make cash deposits, or withdraw money. Then came mobile money and telecom-led fintechs, which changed the game. Paying school fees became easier, and the services on offer continued to evolve to meet users at their point of need. This sparked a battle for customers and market share, one that continues to be reflected in profits reported with each financial year.

Dara Assim-Ita, Senior Product Designer at Paystack, says in Nigeria, the dynamic is far more nuanced than a simple fintech-versus-bank narrative. From where she sits, it is more collaboration than confrontation.

‘Nigeria’s financial services ecosystem has also developed through a lot of collaboration between banks, fintechs, switches, regulators and other licensed players. A good example is payments. Nigeria has one of the most active real-time payments ecosystems in Africa. NIBSS (Nigeria’s Central Switch) Instant Payments processed nearly 11 billion transactions in 2024, up from about five billion in 2022, and NIBSS itself is owned by all licensed banks and the Central Bank of Nigeria. The infrastructure that has enabled a lot of fintech innovation is deeply connected to the banking system,’ she says.

The data tells a similar story, as Nigerian bank deposits grew by 24 percent in 2025, even as fintech transaction volumes hit record highs. Both occurred simultaneously because they are not really competing for the same thing.

‘Fintechs brought a large portion of economic activity that was already happening in markets, small businesses and informal trade into a system where it could be tracked, settled and built upon. That formalisation benefits the whole ecosystem, including banks,’ she says.

Merchants do not think in terms of ‘bank versus fintech’; they simply want money to move reliably.

Therefore, the question that matters is how to make that process better for the businesses at the centre of it all. Nigeria still has a $32b small and medium business (SMB) credit gap that neither banks nor fintechs have fully solved on their own.

‘The way to navigate this is not to position ourselves against banks, but to stay focused on the role we play in the ecosystem. For instance, Paystack’s job is to provide reliable payments infrastructure that helps businesses accept payments, move money and build better financial experiences for their customers. In many cases, that means working with banks and other regulated financial institutions, not replacing them,’ she discloses.

Consequently, the real opportunity lies in building a stronger, safer and more inclusive financial system, where each player contributes what they do best. ‘We circumnavigate that by being collaborative, deeply compliant, and very clear about the value we add to businesses and consumers.’

Financing

Reaching this point has not been easy for fintechs, as funding remains one of the biggest challenges they face. For Paystack, the journey happened in stages. In the early days, the company raised venture capital from investors who believed in the scale of the opportunity and the quality of the team.

‘Paystack was part of Y Combinator in 2016, and in 2018 we raised an $8m Series A round led by Stripe, with participation from Visa, Tencent, Y Combinator and other investors. That brought our total investment to a little over $10m then,’ she says.

In 2020, Paystack was acquired by Stripe, giving the company the opportunity to continue building from Africa with stronger global support, while maintaining its independence and continuing to serve businesses across the continent. Some innovators, however, become overly dependent on funding, even though it is intended primarily to help businesses start and scale. Moving beyond that requires a focus on sustainability, which is built on a strong business foundation.

From west to east

East Africa’s fintech sector continues to grow, but the region has yet to see a significant influx of West African fintech players. That said, some companies have made the move, while others, such as Paystack, are already operating in Kenya, plus Chipper Cash, which was built with an explicitly pan-African ambition.

‘The bigger point is not ambition or interest but that African fintech expansion isn’t plug-and-play. West Africa and East Africa are both very dynamic, but with different market structures,’ Assim-Ita says.

Her argument is that in Nigeria and much of West Africa, fintech innovation has largely developed around bank accounts, cards, bank transfers and merchant payments. On the other hand, in East Africa, particularly in markets such as Kenya and Uganda, mobile money has been central to how people and businesses move money.

‘Therefore, a fintech entering East Africa has to understand different customer behaviour, different rails, different partnerships and often a different regulatory path,’ she explains.

In that sense, the barriers are not merely geographical. They are regulatory, infrastructural and cultural, requiring a deep understanding of local dynamics and the ability to adapt accordingly.

AI in fintech

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising many industries and is becoming increasingly important within fintech. Yet it can only help financial technology companies do three things better: understand risk, improve customer experience and help businesses make faster, smarter decisions. Assim-Ita nevertheless says AI can help fintechs detect unusual patterns, strengthen fraud monitoring and support compliance teams with better signals.

‘That matters because, as digital transactions grow, trust and safety become even more important,’ she says.

AI also makes financial tools easier to use. With AI, a small business owner can ask simple questions, identify trends, understand revenue patterns and make decisions more quickly.

‘That’s mainly why Paystack rebuilt its dashboard with an AI-native command centre,’ she says.

The Paystack Dashboard is one of the most important tools used daily by Paystack merchants. Through it, they monitor payments, track revenue, manage customers, review settlements, investigate failed transactions, handle disputes and gain insights into business performance.

Joining fintech

Before joining Paystack, Assim-Ita worked as a consultant for several banks through a marketing agency. A friend later introduced her to Paystack’s former head of design, which proved to be a turning point.

‘Honestly, I wasn’t actively looking to work in fintech at the time. From the outside, I thought the space was a bit boring and that there wasn’t much new to build,’ she says.

That perception changed quickly after joining Paystack. She realised there was still so much to solve, particularly in the areas of payments, financial management, data interpretation and business growth.

‘Most of the most important problems in fintech aren’t always visible from the outside, but once you see them up close, you understand how much work is still worth doing,’ she says with a smile.

Assim-Ita has particularly enjoyed working at the intersection of product, design and engineering.

‘I’m less interested in design as just one lane, and more interested in how those disciplines come together to solve real problems for businesses,’ she says.

While Assim-Ita represents some of the women who have entered the technology sector, she is quick to acknowledge that her experience may not have been as difficult as that of many others.

‘Therefore, I’m careful not to speak as if I fought through obstacles that I didn’t personally experience in the same way other women may have. I know many women have had to work much harder to be seen, trusted or taken seriously in technical spaces,’ she says.

She stresses the importance of having supportive bosses, friends and colleagues who believe in you, mention your name in the right rooms and open doors that you might not otherwise have entered.

Assim-Ita encourages aspiring professionals to learn enough technical language to work alongside engineers as peers. That is not because they need to become engineers themselves, but because it helps them collaborate effectively and ensures that nothing gets lost in translation.

‘The barrier is smaller than it looks from the outside. Fintech needs people who can understand users, simplify complexity and build trust. Those skills matter a lot,’ she says.

The East African Court of Justice (EACJ) has summoned the Ugandan government to defend a case challenging a Constitutional Court decision that lawyers and human rights defenders say weakens safeguards against torture of criminal suspects.

The regional court, based in Arusha, Tanzania, has given the Attorney General 45 days to file Uganda’s response to the Reference filed by the Uganda Law Society (ULS), warning that failure to respond could result in the case being heard and determined in the government’s absence.

The summons, signed by the court’s Registrar on July 31, states: ‘You are hereby required to file a response within 45 days of the date of service hereof. In default whereof, the reference will be heard and determined in your absence.’

The case stems from a June 2 decision by Uganda’s Constitutional Court in Faruku Muhamed and Others v Attorney General and Others, in which a panel of five justices unanimously found provisions of Section 11 of the Human Rights (Enforcement) Act inconsistent with the Constitution.

The justices – Oscar Kihika, Margaret Tibulya, Moses Kazibwe, Musa Ssekaana and Asa Mugenyi – held that Section 11(2) made the acquittal of an accused person dependent on the torture claims by the suspect rather than the evidentiary procedure prescribed by the Constitution.

The court consequently found the provision inconsistent with Articles 28(3)(a), (b), (c) and (d) of the Constitution.

The ruling has since triggered concern among lawyers and human rights activists, who argue that its effect could weaken one of the legal safeguards against torture by allowing criminal proceedings to continue even after a court has established that an accused person was subjected to torture or other violations of non-derogable rights.

Dr Livingstone Ssewayana, executive director of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative, in an earlier interview with this publication, criticised the decision, saying the exclusion of evidence obtained through torture is an important deterrent against abuse by security agencies.

‘We disagree with the court decision. The essence of creating the Human Rights Act was to stop torture, and also for the court to have a role in stopping those involved in torture by not using evidence obtained through torture,’ Dr Ssewayana said shortly after the ruling was handed down.

He argued that allowing proceedings to continue despite torture findings could encourage perpetrators because the underlying criminal case would not necessarily collapse.

‘It’s a reverse of the gains we had made in terms of fighting torture. It gives liberty to perpetrators of torture knowing that even if they torture suspects, their trial will continue,’ he said.

Dr Ssewayana further pointed to Article 44 of the Constitution, which protects freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment as a non-derogable right.

ULS takes case to regional court

The Uganda Law Society subsequently challenged the Constitutional Court decision before the regional court based in Arusha, arguing that Uganda, as a member of the East African Community, has obligations under the Treaty establishing the regional bloc to uphold the rule of law and human rights.

The lawyers argue that the effect of the Constitutional Court judgment is that criminal proceedings could proceed to completion even where a court has found that the State violated non-derogable rights during investigations or prosecution.

ULS further argues that the judgment undermines the power of courts to halt proceedings where there has been serious abuse of the judicial process.

‘The further effect of the judgment is to strip courts of the inherent power to stay proceedings for abuse of process,’ the lawyers argue.

They contend that even where State misconduct is allegedly in bad faith, systemic or egregious, criminal proceedings would still have to run their course.

According to the ULS, this places the completion of trials above judicial integrity and public confidence in the administration of justice.

The lawyers argue that such an approach is incompatible with the rule of law because it could allow State agencies to benefit from violations committed during criminal investigations.

Treaty obligations

The ULS has based its reference on Articles 6(d) and 7(2) of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community.

Article 6(d) sets out fundamental principles of the Community, including good governance, democracy, the rule of law, accountability, transparency, social justice and the recognition, promotion and protection of human and peoples’ rights.

Article 7(2) similarly requires Partner States to adhere to principles of good governance, democracy, the rule of law, social justice and universally accepted standards of human rights.

ULS argues that these obligations are binding on Uganda and can be enforced before the regional court.

The lawyers are asking the EACJ to declare that Uganda violated Articles 6(d) and 7(2) of the EAC Treaty by virtue of the Constitutional Court’s June 2 judgment.

They further want the regional court to declare the judgment inconsistent with Uganda’s obligations under the Treaty insofar as it permits criminal proceedings to continue after a finding that an accused person’s non-derogable rights have been violated.

The ULS is also seeking an order directing the Ugandan government to take measures, including legislative or judicial action, to restore effective remedies consistent with the prohibition of torture, good governance and the rule of law.

The case now shifts the controversy from Uganda’s domestic courts to the regional level.

Tony Mbaziira walks to the stage, microphone in hand, as the 1998 Bookshelf riddim fills the air. It is a familiar sound – the kind that birthed Sean Paul’s ‘Deport Them’, Beenie Man’s ‘Bookshelf’, and Mr Vegas’s ‘Jack It Up’. For any music lover, the groove is instant recognition. “My name is Mbaziira Tony owe’ Binyaanyaanya,” he announces to a crowd in Ngando, Butambala, District.

The crowd cheers. Then, unexpectedly, they begin to disperse; slipping into nearby bushes. A baffling sight, until they re-emerge moments later clutching tree branches, banana leaves and ragged cloths. Mbaziira, now in the DJ box, raises his microphone and the ritual begins. This is not the DJing of Kampala’s uptown clubs. It is something stranger, older and more electric. This is Binyaanyaanya.

What Is Binyaanyaanya?

There is no direct English translation. Mbaziira likens the word to a mélange; a mixture, a medley, an assortment of musical elements fused into something new. The term, he explains, draws from a Masaka culinary tradition: the excitement of preparing raw tomatoes to accompany meat, the vivid mix of chilli, onions and ingredients coming together in a satisfying whole. Binyaanyaanya is that tasty, but for the ears. In practice, it is a cult-like form of DJing that connects with audiences without relying on traditionally recorded music.

Instead of playing pre-recorded tracks, Mbaziira uses sample pads, hot cues and vocal drops, often non-musical sound effects – to build a live soundscape. He records and manipulates sounds on set, functioning more like a live producer than a conventional disc jockey. The result is a low-pitched, rhythmic sequence with no lyrics. It is trance-like, hypnotic, designed to provoke movement rather than thought. “Unless otherwise, I do not alternate between high energy bangers and slow, deeper music,” Mbaziira explains. “Ours is not a roller coaster. It is energy and ambiance from the start to the end.”

The crowd becomes the forest

The audience, remarkably, understands what he is doing. They dance with ferocious energy, chanting fragments of lyrics as Mbaziira feeds them new sounds. He does not plan his sets with a conventional emotional arc. Instead, he sustains a single, relentless wave. At a key moment, he shouts: “Mukole ekibira!” make a forest. The crowd raises their branches and banana leaves, creating a bush environment as they dance. It is theatrical, participatory and deeply communal. This, Mbaziira explains, is where the term “Endongo y’E Binyaanya” comes from, a high-energy fusion of music and performance that proves infectious.

He also deploys memorable one-liners, such as “Atalina Bbina anyeenye Mugongo’, he who has no backside should shake their back, looped over a riddim to drive the crowd into frenzy. The production veers towards electronic trance, but its roots are unmistakably Ugandan.

The Nyege Nyege phenomenon

Mbaziira is not alone. His childhood friend, Suuna Ben, has become the more recognisable face of the movement. Suuna takes old Kadongo Kamu songs, Uganda’s neo-soul genre and recontextualises them for modern audiences. Tracks like Ssebowa Mugoonza’s ‘Akamasu’ and ‘Akaliga ka Simon’ find new life in his sets, layered with lewd jokes, dancing competitions and suggestive performances.

In 2024, Suuna was invited to Uganda’s premier music festival, Nyege Nyege. He was not billed as a headliner. But he stole the show, delivering an electrifying set that kept revellers dancing until sunrise. Many did not leave his stage until 8 a.m. It was a breakthrough moment for Binyaanyaanya, signalling that this underground movement had found mainstream acceptance. Suuna has since recorded mixtapes for online audiences, allowing other DJs to follow in his footsteps. His work has effectively revived Kadongo Kamu, giving it a raucous, party-ready energy that appeals to younger crowds.

A wider movement

The Binyaanyaanya phenomenon extends beyond DJ booths. In Iganda, singer Blood More, real name Ramathan Kakaire, blends Kadodi, Luwengele, Tamena Ibuga and Busoga music genres into a harmonic Afrobeat foundation. His performances are less about studio recordings and more about live adaptation, adjusting his sound to suit whichever audience he faces. His chant “Munayemba?” – will you sing? is met with a thunderous “Ehe!” from the crowd. It is call and response, communal and deeply participatory.

What unites these artists, Mbaziira, Suuna and Blood More is a rejection of conventional performance structures. They do not simply play music. They create moments. They manipulate energy. They speak directly to their audiences, often bypassing the formalities of the stage. Binyaanyaanya is not a genre in the traditional sense. It is a methodology, a way of performing that prioritises immediacy, participation and live adaptation. It thrives on unpredictability the sense that anything could happen, that the DJ or singer might pivot at any moment, drawing the crowd deeper into the experience.

The future of the movement

As Binyaanyaanya continues to evolve, questions remain. Can it sustain its momentum beyond the cult following? Will it translate to international audiences, or remain a distinctly Ugandan phenomenon? Suuna’s Nyege Nyege performance suggests it has broader appeal, but the movement’s power lies in its local roots, its ability to speak directly to Ugandan experiences, fears and joys.

For now, Binyaanyaanya is a testament to the creativity of Uganda’s underground music scene.

It is a reminder that sometimes the most powerful performances are not the most polished, but the most present. The ones that ask the audience not just to listen, but to become part of the music itself. Whether it will grow into a lasting cultural force or remain a niche movement remains to be seen. But for the crowds waving branches and singing along to sounds they have never heard before; the question is irrelevant. They are already part of something bigger. Binyaanyaanya is here. And it is dancing.

James Bogere’s two-goal display in the UEFA Champions League for AGF Aarhus was more than another exciting performance by a promising Ugandan teenager. It provided the clearest indication yet that his Danish club increasingly trusts him to lead its attack.

Bogere scored both goals as AGF defeated Azerbaijan’s Sabah FK 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying-round tie on Wednesday.

His first was a powerful effort from the edge of the penalty area before he added a composed second-half finish to give the Danish champions an important advantage ahead of the return leg.

More significant than the goals, however, is the responsibility AGF coach Jakob Poulsen has recently placed on the 18-year-old.

The Sabah match was Bogere’s third consecutive start. He was trusted to lead the line in AGF’s remarkable Champions League comeback against Lech Poznan on July 29.

He retained his place and completed the match in the 2-2 league draw with Lyngby three days later, before starting and scoring twice against Sabah.

That sequence suggests Bogere is no longer being treated merely as a talented academy graduate receiving occasional minutes. AGF are beginning to view him as a genuine first-team option in important domestic and European matches.

For Uganda, the development could hardly be better timed. The Cranes are preparing for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which Uganda will co-host with Kenya and Tanzania from June 19 to July 17.

Building a competitive team capable of thriving on home soil will require finding a dependable source of goals.

The Cranes have struggled to establish a consistent attacking focal point since former captain Geoffrey Massa retired from international football in March 2017.

Massa provided physical presence, leadership and important goals during a 12-year Cranes career. He captained Uganda during the successful qualification campaign for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, ending the country’s long absence from the continental tournament.

Farouk Miya subsequently emerged as Uganda’s most dependable attacking outlet. Although not an orthodox centre-forward, he scored the winner against Comoros that secured qualification for the 2017 AFCON and later registered Uganda’s only goal at the finals in Gabon.

As Miya gradually fell out of the regular national-team picture, Uganda rotated several forwards without finding an undisputed long-term leader of the attack.

It is against that background that Bogere’s emergence in Denmark carries wider significance. Developed at El Cambio Academy in Masaka before making his name with Uganda’s junior national teams, Bogere scored three times at the 2025 CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations, including twice in the 2-1 play-off victory over The Gambia that secured Uganda’s maiden qualification for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup.

At the World Cup in Qatar later that year, Bogere scored against Canada and France as Uganda progressed beyond the group stage on their first appearance.

Cubs coach at the time, Brian Ssenyondo, later highlighted that Bogere’s contribution extended beyond finishing chances.

‘He (Bogere) always affects the game, even when he doesn’t score. More importantly, he knows how to play for the team,’ Ssenyondo told FIFA.com after Uganda’s victory over France.

Those performances earned Bogere a place in Paul Put’s Uganda squad for the 2025 AFCON. Explaining the selection in December 2025, Put said: ‘Bogere is a great talent and has got potential. I think he deserves a spot in the squad.’

Bogere is not yet the finished answer to Uganda’s goalscoring problems. He remains 18 and still requires regular football, physical development and experience against senior defenders.

Uganda must also avoid placing the responsibility for solving years of attacking inconsistency entirely on one young player.

However, AGF’s growing faith is encouraging. Starting three consecutive matches, including two Champions League qualifiers, shows that Bogere is earning trust rather than simply benefiting from his potential.

Bogere’s European journey is still in its early stages, but three consecutive starts and two Champions League goals suggest the answer to the Cranes’ striking puzzle may finally be developing in Aarhus.

Ugandans can now breathe a collective sigh of relief following the completion of the Kampala Metropolitan Transmission System Improvement Project.

The Japanese Yen (JPY)14.5 billion ($92.3 million or about Shs343.3billion) project is being undertaken by the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL), the Consortium of Toyota Tsusho Corporation, and China Machinery Engineering Corporation, with financing by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The project has been delivered within the planned timeline of August 8, and aims at strengthening the reliability, stability, and resilience of Uganda’s electricity transmission network.

Dr Patricia Litho, the Assistant Commissioner for Communications and Information Management at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, says the completion follows four months of ‘intensive work and dedication’.

‘The upgraded transmission network will increase electricity capacity, improve reliability, reduce power interruptions and strengthen the resilience of supply for residents, businesses and industries across Kampala Metropolitan Area,’ she said on Saturday.

She added that for industries and commercial enterprises, the upgrade means a more dependable electricity supply to support productivity, business continuity, investment and future growth.

Eng Daniel Kisira, the Head of Projects Implementation at the UEDCL, says the upgrade now means reduced wide area outages in the Metropolitan Area.

‘Residents have been complaining of frequent power interruptions occasioned by the need to replace old wires with new high capacity wires that can serve the growing demand in the Kampala area which consumes more than 60% of the national electricity generated,’ said Eng Kisira.

The project is being implemented in two strategic lots, with Lot 1 expected to be completed by June 2026 and Lot 2 by February 2027.

‘Overall, completion is above 90%, with only Mukono substation and Kawaala substation works pending, but expected to be completed by February 2027,’ Eng Kisira said, adding that the scope completed so far is Buloba, Bujagali, Mutundwe, and now transmission reconductoring.

Earlier, Eng Kisira described the project as ‘one of our under-the-grid development plan designed to cater for the rising needs of Kampala City and its surrounding area’, and that construction of the 33 KV lines was to quickly integrate to this new substation to enable customers enjoy the benefits as soon as possible.

Upon completion of Lot 2 in February 2027, the project will significantly improve power reliability and system stability within the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area, reduce transmission constraints, improve voltage performance, minimise outages, and create the additional capacity required to support future economic growth and industrial expansion.

It will also strengthen investor confidence in Uganda’s energy sector and reinforce the country’s position as a competitive and attractive investment destination within the region.