Category: Daily Monitor

The Board of Uganda Airlines has decided to advertise the position of chief executive officer (CEO) nearly four years after Ms Jenifer Bamuturaki took the reins.

Ms Bamuturaki, the current CEO, yesterday announced that she will be stepping down and urged her colleagues to keep their eyes peeled for the advert and apply if they qualify.

In an internal email that leaked last evening, she wrote: ‘The Board will advertise the position of chief executive officer shortly, and you are all encouraged to apply if you meet the required qualifications. The job description and application form will be published on the website.’ Her departure will mark the end of almost four years at the helm of the national carrier.

She was appointed CEO in July 2022, replacing Mr Cornel Muleya, who had been shown the door earlier that year. This development comes hot on the heels of a probe launched barely a month ago by the criminal investigations directorate (CID), working jointly with the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, into the airline’s operations.

In a January 7 letter addressed to Ms Bamuturaki, CID and SHACU requested extensive financial and procurement records, citing alleged abuse of office, embezzlement, and false accounting linked to the airline’s transactions.

Investigators are seeking board-approved business plans, budgets for the 2024/2025 Financial Year, contracts related to Boeing aircraft acquisition, and procurement files covering key suppliers such as fuel, ground handling, travel, and aircraft leasing services.

The letter, signed by Mr Fed Lumala on behalf of the CID deputy director of economic fraud and anti-corruption, also demanded detailed banking records, ticketing accounts, expenditure reports, and a list of companies involved in supporting the London route, one of the airline’s most high-profile and capital-intensive ventures. Since its revival in 2019, the State-owned carrier has leaned heavily on government support to bankroll fleet expansion, route launches, and operational costs. In December last year, the Ministry of Works received Shs696.5b, part of the Shs1.6t Schedule Three of the Shs8.1t Supplementary Budget, to purchase new aircraft and beef up the fleet.

Long-term investment

Officials have consistently defended the airline as a long-term investment in tourism, trade, and connectivity. Yet critics argue that persistent losses, governance gaps, and opaque procurement processes have left the airline skating on thin ice. The latest Auditor General’s report revealed early signs of financial stabilisation in the 2024/2025 Financial Year, with a slight reduction in losses and growth in revenue. Uganda Airlines trimmed its net loss from Shs231.58b in 2023/2024 to Shs230.81b in 2024/2025, a modest Shs768m (0.33 percent) improvement.

The report noted that this small step forward was largely driven by a 19.2 percent revenue growth, thanks to expanded routes and increased international presence, including long-haul services such as the London route. Despite these baby steps, the government has poured close to Shs1t into the airline since its revival, and mounting losses remain the elephant in the room. Ms Bamuturaki herself admitted last year that it would take at least another four years before the airline could break even and turn a profit.

Bombardier spare parts controversy Ms Bamuturaki, firmly refuted claims that its aircraft lack spare parts, affirming that spare parts are readily available despite global shortages, and clarified that despite Bombadier’s sale, Uganda Airlines has access to multiple sources for spare parts, although global demand makes procurement challenging and time-consuming. Ms Bamuturaki announced that by August Uganda Airlines is set to acquire three more planes and launch five more routes to Cape Town in South Africa, Accra in Ghana, Jordan in Oman, Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, and Gwangju in South Korea, calling on Ugandans to support the national airlines.

No qualifications

In August 2022, Members of Parliament on the Committee on Commissions Statutory and State Enterprises (Cosase), had found out that the Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Airlines, Ms Jennifer Bamuturaki, did not have the requisite requirements as per the job description. The Committee found out that Ms Bamuturaki did not have post-graduate training in administration as prescribed in the job requirements. In her defence, Ms Bamuturaki argued that she had the required skills and experience to run the national career.

Uganda’s crisis is deeper than any single individual or the regime he leads. It is, at its core, a crisis of mindset. Over the years, we have normalised intolerance of dissent to the point where disagreement itself is treated as an act of hostility.

To question the government is often to invite repression, intimidation, or manufactured charges. To question the Opposition is to be branded a traitor or a sell-out in the court of public opinion. In such an environment, independent thought is suffocated, loyalty replaces reason, and conformity is mistaken for patriotism.

A society that fears honest disagreement ultimately condemns itself to stagnation. This culture did not emerge overnight. It is the product of decades in which politics has been reduced to camps rather than ideas, personalities rather than policies.

We have come to believe that political maturity means choosing a side and defending it at all costs, even when evidence, logic, or national interest demands otherwise. As a result, Uganda’s public discourse has become loud but shallow; rich in slogans, poor in substance. Nowhere is this clearer than in how we have misunderstood the nature of political struggle itself.

For far too long, politics has been defined primarily as the act of fighting President Yoweri Museveni and his regime, rather than the harder, more consequential work of building ideas, institutions, and credible alternatives.

Yet regimes, like seasons in climatology, come and go. You do not defeat a season by fighting it. The real question is not how loudly one curses the season, but what one does during it. Do we prepare for what comes next, or do we exhaust ourselves resisting what cannot be rushed? The consequences are evident.

At election time, manifestos are thin, incoherent, or recycled. Policy debates are replaced by rallies and insults. Complex national challenges such as youth unemployment, industrialisation, healthcare financing, land governance, or education quality are reduced to applause lines.

This failure has fed another dangerous illusion: the belief that a hero will come to save Uganda. That salvation will arrive either in the form of a foreign power, an international ally, or a single popular figure with mass appeal capable of uniting the nation overnight.

Yet nations are not rescued; they are built slowly, deliberately, and strategically. No outsider can substitute for internal organisation. No charismatic individual can replace disciplined thinking. No crowd, however large, can compensate for weak systems. Waiting for rescue is not hope; it is abdication.

Our tragedy is well captured in the old wisdom: the sheep spends its entire life fearing the wolf, yet in the end, it is the shepherd who eats it. We have focused so intensely on the obvious enemy; the regime, that we ignored the quieter, more enduring dangers: weak institutions, shallow politics, intellectual laziness, and internal intolerance.

Perhaps most corrosive of all is the false binary we have accepted that Uganda must permanently exist divided between ‘the regime’ and ‘the Opposition,’ with no shared national ground. This mindset leaves no room for reformers within systems, no space for consensus on core national priorities, and no vision of a Uganda beyond perpetual confrontation.

It denies the possibility that progress can come from policy continuity, institutional reform, or cross-cutting national agreements on issues such as education standards, healthcare delivery, infrastructure planning, and civic ethics.

Yet history is unequivocal: sustainable progress is not born from endless resistance alone. It is built through civic maturity, institutional development, and the courage to think beyond faction. The real, multi-million-shilling question is this: When will Ugandans create the time and space to discuss the issues that affect us all; beyond party lines, beyond personalities, beyond the politics of crowd-pulling and intimidation for the benefit of this generation and those yet unborn?

Uganda will not be transformed merely by changing faces in power. It will be transformed when we change how we think, when we learn to outgrow seasons instead of fighting them, to prepare rather than protest endlessly, to value strategy over noise, and institutions over individuals. The future belongs not to those who shout the loudest against the present, but to those who quietly, consistently, and competently build the foundations of what must come next.

In the end, the most radical act in Uganda today is not defiance for its own sake, but disciplined thinking. Not perpetual outrage, but serious preparation. Not waiting for saviours, but becoming builders.

Every night, turbines at power plants keep spinning.

At Karuma, Isimba, and Nalubaale-Kiira, water rushes through concrete channels, turning steel rotors designed to power the future. Engineers monitor control panels, and operators log generation figures. On paper, Uganda appears well supplied with electricity.

But beyond the powerhouses, something quietly breaks down.

The electricity is generated. Contracts are honoured. Payments are made. But the power does not always reach the people. This is where the story of deemed energy begins.

In simple terms, deemed energy is electricity that is produced or contractually available to be produced but cannot be evacuated through the transmission grid.

When this happens, Independent Power Producers are still paid under their power purchase agreements.

The loss does not show up as blackouts or darkness on the streets. Instead, it appears in government’s financial statements as an obligation, money paid for power that was never used.

According to the Annual Report of the Auditor General 2025, unused power worth Shs26.94b was registered, which was incurred across all four quarters of the year ended June 2025.

The Auditor General traces the cost not to a lack of generation, but to failures in the network that lies between the power plants and consumers.

Grid interruption events repeatedly prevented electricity from being evacuated. Line faults, equipment failures, vandalism, system limitations, and transformer outages combined to restrict the flow of power at critical points in the system.

In substations such as Namanve, Mutundwe, Lugazi, and Owen Falls, major transformers worth billions of shillings remained idle for extended periods.

Some, the Auditor General indicates, had been out of service for months, others for more than three years.

These were not minor components. They were strategic non-current assets, but instead, they sat unused, forcing the system to rely on temporary and inefficient configurations.

The idle transformers symbolize delay and neglect or a misalignment between assets and purpose.

Infrastructure exists, but not in a condition or configuration that allows it to serve demand.

The persistence of these interruptions, the Auditor General notes, points to ineffective utilization and unreliable performance of key transmission assets.

This was not an isolated technical problem but a systemic weakness with recurring financial consequences.

This is where the idea that government is ‘paying twice’ moves from metaphor to measurable reality.

First, government invested heavily in building generation capacity. Karuma Hydropower Plant alone costs approximately $1.398b, while Isimba costs about $567.7m, both financed through loans.

These loans must be serviced regardless of how much electricity the plants actually deliver to consumers.

The result is a compounding burden, with the country servicing debt on underutilized assets, paying operating and maintenance costs, and then paying again for electricity that never enters the economy.

This describes inefficiency. Nowhere is this clearer than at Karuma Hydropower Plant. Designed with a declared available capacity of 600 megawatts, Karuma generated only 808.27 gigawatt-hours of electricity, equivalent to about 30 percent of its available capacity.

In its first year of operation, average dispatch was just 70 megawatt-hours, rising to 116 megawatt-hours in the second year.

Both figures fall far below the minimum required dispatch of 300 megawatt-hours needed to properly test equipment and identify latent defects during the defects liability period.

Low dispatch does not simply waste electricity; it undermines asset integrity. When turbines and associated plant structures are not run at sufficient load, defects may remain hidden until warranties expire.

The financial consequences are equally severe. Karuma realized only Shs148.16b, representing just 46.8 percent of its expected revenue of Shs316.42b.

This shortfall threatens the plant’s ability to meet loan repayment obligations and adequately fund operations and maintenance. What appears as unused power emerges as a risk of stranded debt.

Another crucial insight in the Auditor General’s findings is that deemed energy is not purely a transmission problem. It is also a demand problem.

Low dispatch at Karuma and Isimba is partly driven by inadequate electricity demand and the prioritization of lower-cost plants and private producers already on the capacity charge.

Even where transmission infrastructure is available, there are not enough large and consistent consumers to absorb the power being generated.

This shifts the discussion from engineering to development policy. Generation capacity has expanded faster than industrialization, rural electrification, export readiness, and regional power trade infrastructure.

Uganda has invested in supply without fully anchoring that supply in productive economic activity. The result is power without pull, electricity ready to flow, but with nowhere meaningful to go.

But President Museveni has previously said that instead of government worrying because of lack, it is better to be worried about available but unused power.

Deemed power signals deeper coordination failures between generation and transmission planning, between asset procurement and load growth, and between infrastructure ambition and actual consumption patterns in the economy.

Thus, the Auditor General notes that beyond restoring idle transformers, there should be a structured and deliberate plan to improve asset availability, prevent recurring outages, and enhance evacuation capacity while demand grows in parallel.

Without this, deemed energy will not only be an anomaly, but a risk, whereby each year of inaction locks in avoidable losses, increases long-term pressure on electricity tariffs, and reduces fiscal space for social services.

What makes deemed energy particularly dangerous is that it produces no visible crisis. The lights remain on. The grid functions.

The cost is hidden in accounting records rather than felt through power outages.

And so, each night, the turbines keep spinning.

They produce clean, renewable power full of promise, waiting for a grid and an economy that can fully absorb it.

Until idle transformers are restored, demand is deliberately grown, and transmission assets are aligned with national development goals, much of that promise will remain trapped.

Masindi Municipality has entered a new political phase after newly elected leaders from the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and their independent colleagues agreed to form an alliance.

It is aimed at improving cooperation, service delivery, and collective lobbying for increased government funding. The alliance was unveiled during a meeting held at the home of the newly elected Masindi Municipality Mayor, Mr Rogers Amanyire.

It brought together Members of Parliament representing Masindi, municipality division chairpersons, as well as municipal and district councillors. Youth unemployment dominated discussions, with leaders warning that failure to create jobs for young people could fuel crime and social instability.

To address this, the alliance resolved to promote vocational skills training, support youth savings and credit cooperatives (Saccos), and attract small and medium-scale industries to the municipality. Mr Amanyire said the decision to work together reflected a clear message from voters during the recent elections.

‘We heard the voice of the people very clearly. They want leaders to work together and deliver services. This alliance is our response,’ he said.

He added that poor road conditions and blocked drainage channels remain major challenges, with low-lying areas such as Kigulya and Nyangahya frequently affected by flooding. Mr Amanyire said leaders would jointly lobby the central government for increased funding and take a more active role in supervising ongoing projects.

‘We are tired of shoddy work. We shall closely monitor projects ourselves and ensure contractors deliver quality work. Taxpayers deserve value for their money,’ he said.

For years, Masindi District Council sessions have been characterised by political tensions, with disagreements often spilling into the public domain and delaying decision-making.

Residents have repeatedly complained that political divisions slowed development projects and undermined service delivery. The newly elected Masindi Municipality Member of Parliament, Mr Rogers Byamukama, said leaders had reflected on past mistakes and agreed that continued rivalry would only harm residents. ‘We competed during elections, which was normal. But elections are now over. If we continue fighting, it is the people who will suffer,’ Mr Byamukama said.

Mr Solomon Asiimwe, the Karujubu Division chairperson, said the alliance would help build harmony between political leaders and technical staff. That is a move from the disconnected voices they previously had.

Masindi is among the fastest-growing urban centres in the Bunyoro Sub-region, driven by its strategic position along the Kampala-Gulu Highway and proximity to the Albertine oil region. While this growth presents economic opportunities, it has also increased pressure on infrastructure, health services, education, and waste management. Mr Alled Akugizibwe, the newly elected Buruli County Member of Parliament, said coordinated planning was essential. ‘Masindi is growing whether we like it or not.

The question is whether we plan for that growth or allow it to overwhelm us. This alliance is about planning together and acting together,’ he said. Infrastructure development, particularly roads and drainage systems, was identified as a top priority. Central Division Chairperson Fredrick Mandela emphasised the need for community involvement.

‘Government cannot do everything alone. Residents must also change their mindset and help keep the town clean,’ he said.

Health and education were also highlighted as urgent concerns. The Masindi District LC5 Chairperson, Mr Patrick Wobusobozi, said leaders would jointly lobby for improved staffing, medical supplies, and equipment at Masindi General Hospital and other facilities.

‘No single leader can solve these challenges alone. When we move together, our voice becomes stronger,’ he said.

Residents expressed cautious optimism. Ms Sarah Nyamwija, a trader at Masindi Main Market, said unity among leaders would benefit businesses.

‘Traders need peace and better services to operate. If leaders work together, things will improve,’ she said.

However, others called for action. ‘We have heard good speeches before. Fix the roads and control floods, then we shall believe,’ said boda boda rider Mr John Twinomujuni.

Every year on February 2, the world pauses to reflect on the value of wetlands-those often-overlooked ecosystems that quietly sustain life.

This year’s World Wetlands Day, themed ‘Wetlands and traditional knowledge: Celebrating cultural heritage,’ invites us not merely to look at wetlands as ecological assets, but as living archives of culture, wisdom and identity. In Uganda, this theme could not be timelier.

From the papyrus-fringed shores of Lake Victoria to the seasonal wetlands of the cattle corridor, Uganda’s wetlands have long been shaped, protected and interpreted through traditional knowledge systems. Long before policy instruments, environmental impact assessments or Ramsar designations, our communities understood wetlands as sacred spaces, sources of livelihood, and buffers against environmental shocks.

Among fishing communities around Lake Victoria, traditional norms governed when and how fishing could take place, often linked to seasonal cycles and cultural beliefs. Certain breeding areas were respected and left undisturbed, not because of written law, but because of inherited wisdom passed from one generation to the next.

In central Uganda, papyrus wetlands were carefully harvested for crafts, roofing and mats, guided by practices that ensured regeneration rather than depletion. In eastern and western Uganda, wetlands played a critical role in drought resilience, providing dry-season grazing and water for livestock-used wisely and communally.

These practices were not accidental. They reflected a deep appreciation of ecological balance and interdependence. Traditional knowledge recognised that wetlands are not wastelands, but lifelines-filtering water, controlling floods, storing carbon and supporting biodiversity. Today, science affirms what culture has long known.

Yet, despite this rich heritage, Uganda’s wetlands are under unprecedented threat. Rapid urbanisation, industrial expansion, unsustainable agriculture and weak enforcement of environmental laws have led to widespread encroachment. In Kampala alone, wetlands that once acted as natural flood controls have been drained or built over, with devastating consequences-annual flooding, water pollution and loss of livelihoods.

The tragedy is not only ecological; it is cultural. As wetlands disappear, so too does the traditional knowledge associated with them. Burgeoning generations are increasingly disconnected from indigenous conservation practices, while development narratives too often dismiss culture as incompatible with progress.

World Wetlands Day 2026 challenges us to rethink this false dichotomy. Protecting wetlands in Uganda is not just about restoring ecosystems; it is about restoring respect for culture, community and collective memory. Policymakers must go beyond technocratic solutions and meaningfully integrate traditional knowledge into wetland governance. Community elders, cultural institutions and indigenous knowledge holders should not be treated as symbolic stakeholders, but as co-creators of conservation strategies.

Concomitantly, documenting and transmitting traditional knowledge is essential. Schools, universities and civil society certainly have a role in ensuring that cultural heritage becomes a living resource for sustainability, not a relic of the past.

Let us remember that Uganda’s path to environmental resilience may well lie in rediscovering what we already know. When culture guides conservation, wetlands thrive-and so does humanity.

The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has organised a special marking session for the 34 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) scripts in the Integrated Science subject for learners at Bamure Primary School, Koboko District.

This session, announced by the UNEB spokesperson, Ms Jennifer Kalule, follows the discovery of these scripts in a metallic box in the office of the school’s head teacher on Sunday.

‘UNEB would like to assure the public that the missing PLE scripts of Integrated Science for learners of Bamure Primary School, Koboko District, have been recovered and examiners have been invited for marking and subsequent grading of the candidates,’ Ms Kalule said in a statement released on Tuesday.

Her statement came after the Monitor ran a front-page article titled ‘Forgotten PLE Scripts’, which unearthed the negligence by both UNEB officials and school administration that led to the forgetting of the scripts in the head teacher’s office on November 4, 2025.

Disgruntled parents of the 34 candidates, including 18 boys and 16 girls, joined their children and concerned stakeholders yesterday, storming the school premises seeking an explanation and the fate of their children.

Ms Kalule, in an assurance, said, ‘The Board hereby reassures the parents and candidates of Bamure Primary School, and all concerned stakeholders that the scripts will be marked expeditiously and the candidates graded in time for the selection and placement exercise.’

She added that upon its discovery, the said envelope, for avoidance of doubt, was first handed over to Koboko Central Police Station, who collected it from the school and confirmed that it had not been tampered with, before passing it to UNEB.

‘For quality control procedures, before the release of the results, the Board had established that the scripts of 34 candidates of the said school were missing. The learners were tentatively awarded ‘X’ as a thorough check for the scripts was being conducted at our marking centres, followed by the school,’ Ms. Kalule said.

She added, ‘It is this investigation that led to the discovery of the sealed script envelope, which was found intact in the lockable box for UNEB materials in the office of the Headmaster.’

Police, in a Tuesday statement, said a general Enquiry File has been opened to investigate the circumstances under which the PLE answer scripts envelope for integrated science, random number 819239 of Bamure Primary School, was not submitted for marking, subsequently leading to missing marks for all the 34 pupils.

The statement read, ‘Crime scene was visited, examined, processed, and documented by socco with support from other officers, all under the command of DPC, SP Masereka Michael.’

Some of the implicated officials have already been interrogated, according to the statement.

As Ugandans stepped into 2026, www.monitor.co.ug, Uganda’s most-visited news website, recorded these as the most-read stories in January.

From high-stakes politics and disputed elections to national education updates and global recognition for Ugandans, here’s a look back at January’s most-read stories, ranked by article reads in descending order of popularity:

10. Veteran gynecologist Dr Ignatius James Batwala dies

Dr Ignatius James Batwala, 89, a veteran Kampala gynecologist and former Deputy Prime Minister of Busoga Kingdom, died on December 31, 2025, at his Ntinda home, hours after returning from a burial in eastern Uganda.

Dr Batwala, who had also served as Deputy Minister of Health (1986-1988), collapsed shortly after stepping out of the family car and was pronounced dead en route to Mulago Heart Institute. His private clinic, Fiona Clinic, and decades of public service left a lasting impact on Uganda’s medical and social landscape.

9. Returning officer flees with Nalukoola’s declaration forms

Following the high stakes January 15 parliamentary elections, Elias Luyimbazi Nalukoola of NUP was declared the winner of Kawempe North MP seat with 34,985 votes.

Amid the announcement, Kampala District Returning Officer Rashid Hasakya fled the tally centre after clashes with supporters of Nalukoola’s closest rival, Faridah Nambi (NRM), before returning moments later to hand over the declaration forms.

Nalukoola hailed his victory, calling it a triumph of the people over attempts to manipulate the results.

8. Ronald Balimwezo takes early lead in Kampala mayor race

In the Kampala Mayor race, NUP candidate and eventual winner Ronald Balimwezo remained ahead of incumbent Erias Lukwago in early tallies, dominating opposition strongholds across Kawempe, Makindye, and Central divisions.

Balimwezo’s performance foreshadowed the end of Lukwago’s more than decade-long tenure. Low voter turnout was reported, yet Balimwezo secured decisive wins in multiple polling stations, while NRM’s Moses Nsubuga performed strongly in select pockets.

7. UCC orders mobile networks to suspend public internet

Just two days before Uganda’s January 15 General Election, Ugandans were thrown into a blackout as the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) directed all mobile operators and ISPs to suspend public internet access, halt SIM card sales, and restrict outbound roaming.

The directive, effective January 13, followed recommendations from the Inter-Agency Security Committee ahead of polls that saw President Museveni win another disputed term. The blackout and restrictions affected voter access to information and reporting and were blamed for failure of biometric machines on voting day.

6. Four Ugandans among 100 Most Reputable Africans 2026

Reputation Poll International recognized four Ugandans in its 2026 ‘Benchmark of Trust, Integrity and Impact’ list: Ambassador Allan Kajik, opposition leader and musician Bobi Wine, energy entrepreneur Dorothy Pinyoloya, and infrastructure finance expert Samallie Kiyingi.

The list celebrates ethical leadership, influence, and social impact across Africa. Bobi Wine was noted for advocacy on democratic reform and youth participation, while Kajik was lauded for diplomatic and development work.

5. Muhoozi stirs social media with photo of ‘captured’ Bobi Wine’s wife

Not fresh to controversy through his inflammatory posts, first son and military chief Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, sparked debate after posting an image of Bobi Wine’s wife, Barbara, claiming she had been ‘captured’ during a military operation.

The posts came after Bobi Wine fled his home and reported harassment by security forces following the January 15 election, in which he finished second.

The incident intensified scrutiny of Uganda’s security operations and raised tensions with foreign diplomats allegedly linked to his movements.

4. Uganda’s 2026 election: Bobi Wine lags behind Museveni in early tally

This was a weblog with election day coverage, which could have drawn even more readers. Its readership was constrained by a nationwide internet blackout. Main issue on voting day was technical glitches with biometric voter verification machines that forced a shift to manual voting, prompting claims from Bobi Wine and other opposition figures that the process was being manipulated.

President Museveni, whose fingerprint failed to authenticate on the voting machine, also vowed to launch a probe to determine whether the malfunction was deliberate by EC insiders.

3. PLE results set for Friday release

The long-awaited Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) 2025 results were scheduled for release on January 30, 2026, according to UNEB spokesperson Jennifer Kalule. The announcement followed consultations with Education Minister Janet Kataha Museveni, ensuring stakeholders were informed prior to the release.

2. Uganda travellers to pay Shs18m-Shs56m as US expands visa bonds

US-Uganda relations under the spotlight again. The United States placed Uganda among 30+ countries whose citizens must post substantial financial bonds-$5,000 to $15,000-to obtain short-term B1/B2 visas starting January 21, 2026.

The move raised concerns over strained diplomatic ties and the financial burden on Ugandan travellers, particularly for business, education, and diaspora engagement. Analysts noted the policy aligned with US immigration priorities targeting overstays and national security risks.

1. Govt releases dates for 2026 school calendar

Back to school. The Ministry of Education and Sports released the 2026 academic calendar, designating February 2, 2026, as the start of the first term for primary and secondary schools. The dates were later revised due to fears over the post-election environment.

First Term will now open February `10. Permanent Secretary Kedrace Turyagyenda urged strict adherence to the calendar, emphasizing that no school term should be shortened without authorization.

For years, the release of national examination results has followed a familiar and troubling pattern in Budaka District. Each season brings renewed anxiety, heated public debate and, ultimately, disappointment as hundreds of candidates fail to attain the required standards.

Budaka, located in eastern Uganda, is among the districts that registered a high number of failures in the 2025 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), whose results were released on Friday.

According to district education records, the area presented 5,454 candidates. Of these, 245 passed in Division One, 1,705 in Division Two, 1,496 in Division Three and 1,123 in Division Four.

However, 758 candidates were graded Division U, while 46 fell in Division X. Beyond the stark figures on the score sheets lies a deeper story of systemic challenges that continue to undermine learning outcomes in the district.

Education experts and local leaders point to limited access to quality learning resources as a key driver of Budaka’s persistent poor performance.

Many schools, particularly in rural areas, grapple with overcrowded classrooms, inadequate textbooks and severe teacher shortages, conditions that make effective teaching and independent learning extremely difficult.

Without basic instructional materials, even motivated learners struggle to keep pace with the syllabus, widening learning gaps long before they sit their final examinations.

Teacher shortages remain a major concern. Several schools operate with fewer teachers than required, forcing those available to manage large classes and teach multiple subjects.

‘This limits individual attention for learners, especially those who fall behind at an early stage. Over time, these small gaps grow wider and eventually show up in poor examination results,’ said Mr James Mwigo, a parent in Budaka.

Irregular school attendance is another critical factor. Poverty continues to disrupt education in many households, with some learners missing classes to support their families through farming, casual labour or small-scale trading. Others temporarily drop out due to lack of scholastic materials or meals at school.

‘When learners are frequently absent, continuity in learning is lost, making exam preparation extremely difficult,’ Mr Mwigo added.

Infrastructure challenges further compound the problem. Dilapidated classrooms, a shortage of desks and long distances to school negatively affect learners’ concentration, motivation and overall morale.

Despite the grim picture, education stakeholders in the district say there is room for optimism if targeted interventions are prioritised. Local leaders and school administrators have called for increased teacher recruitment, establishment of school feeding programmes, improved access to learning materials and stronger community involvement in education.

Mr Michael Wairagala, a retired teacher, said early childhood education and remedial teaching for struggling learners are essential to reversing the trend.

‘Budaka’s high failure rates do not reflect a lack of ability among learners. They are a result of systemic challenges that require coordinated action,’ he said.

The head teacher of Budaka Family Helper Project Primary School, Mr Eriya Poli, added that although there was a slight improvement in the latest PLE results, failure rates remain high.

‘This is attributed to several factors, including parents failing to fulfil their responsibilities, lack of staff teachers, inadequate accommodation and the absence of school feeding,’ Mr Poli said.

His school registered only six candidates in Division One. Budaka Senior Education Officer Shania Mugala acknowledged the marginal improvement but expressed concern over the high number of ungraded candidates.

‘The Division U figures are worrying. This has been attributed to teenage pregnancies, lack of feeding, teacher shortages, accommodation challenges and inadequate classrooms,’ Ms Mugala said.

She added that while the results were fairly assessed, multiple underlying factors continue to affect performance, including negative parental attitudes and limited political support for the education sector.

‘Political leaders often discourage parents from contributing towards school needs such as feeding and assessment. Later, blame is shifted to teachers, yet without proper support, meaningful improvement is impossible,’ she said.

Ms Mugala also criticised the automatic promotion policy, adding that many learners progress without adequate assessment.

‘The Education Act clearly outlines the roles of parents, teachers and administrators. Without motivating teachers and addressing basic needs like lunch and scholastic materials, better results will remain elusive,’ she said.

Select areas: Division U figures

Palilisa: 1, 285

Tororo District: 1, 017

Butaleja: 775

Budaka: 758

Kibuku: 741

Butebo: 743

Busia District: 382

Busia Municipality: 122

Tororo Municipality: 99

As technology reshapes economies and societies, women remain largely absent from the spaces where digital systems are designed, built, and governed.

Globally, for decades, access to credit has been treated as a shorthand for economic progress.

The assumption is that when households and businesses can borrow, they can smooth consumption, invest, and grow.

Across Uganda, from small traders and salaried workers to entrepreneurs, the lived experience of borrowing tells a more complicated story.

Loans meant to unlock opportunity often become sources of stress. The challenge is not always the absence of credit, but how borrowing decisions are made once money becomes available.

As banks compete on speed, digital access, and product variety, a harder question is emerging: are borrowers equipped to make sound choices after credit is approved?

The shift underway is less about lending and more about lending and borrowing, better.

It is this gap that Absa says it is deliberately targeting. Speaking at the launch of a customer campaign, Moses Rutahigwa, the Absa director of retail and business banking, said: ‘Most times, when we borrow, we take loans without understanding what the loan is for’.

‘We borrow short-term money to finance long-term needs. We mix business money with personal expenses. Before we know it, the loan moves very fast, and the purpose it was meant for is not achieved.’

His point highlights a systemic pattern, where loans intended for growth are diverted to emergencies.

Working capital is absorbed by household pressures. Borrowers begin optimistically. They borrow well, smiling, but the recovery process becomes painful for both customers and banks.

In this framing, the problem is not credit itself, but credit without clarity.

Industry data reflects both progress and fragility. According to Bank of Uganda, non-performing loans declined to about 3.66 percent as of September last year, reflecting tighter underwriting and stronger recovery processes.

Beneath that improvement, banks still observe weak planning, blurred boundaries between personal and business finances, and loans applied to purposes they were never designed to serve.

The result is a persistent drag on productivity and household stability.

Thus, Absa seeks to reposition financial knowledge as a core growth input rather than a soft add-on.

‘Access alone is not enough,’ Rutahigwa says. ‘Credit, if not well understood and without the right purpose, is not good credit.’

In practice, this means shifting the conversation upstream, before a loan is taken, toward planning, structure, and informed decision-making.

That philosophy is shaping how products are framed. The campaign spans unsecured personal loans, home loans, digital lending, asset finance, and tailored solutions for entrepreneurs and schools.

But the emphasis is deliberately broader than price and speed. The stated objective is to ensure borrowing ‘brings more joy and progress, but not the pressure that sometimes comes with it.’

A central tension in modern banking is speed versus structure. Digital lending has trained customers to expect instant decisions, yet fast money can amplify poor choices.

Rutahigwa argues the two do not have to be mutually exclusive. Delays can carry real costs, missed business cycles, unpaid school fees, or stalled trade.

But speed without purpose only compounds risk. ‘We are not saying just come and borrow,’ Rutahigwa says. ‘Borrow with an informed point of view.’

This thinking aligns with broader regulatory efforts. Bank of Uganda and the Uganda Bankers Association have stepped up financial capability initiatives, from integrating financial education into schools to reaching underserved communities through public platforms.

The recognition is growing that sustainable credit expansion depends as much on borrower behaviour as on lender balance sheets.

For the wider economy, the implications are significant. As more capital flows into households and small businesses, the quality of borrowing decisions will increasingly determine whether credit fuels productive investment or entrenches cycles of distress.

Financial literacy, often treated as peripheral, is emerging as a central driver of resilience.

Coffee entrepreneur Robert Kabushenga pushes the debate further, arguing that responsible borrowing cannot be separated from how well banks understand the people behind loan applications.

He questions whether the industry’s approach to Know Your Customer (KYC) genuinely reflects borrowers’ economic realities.

‘Banks talk about KYC all the time,’ Kabushenga says, ‘but in practice, it is mostly paperwork. Opening an account captures identity, not context. It does not tell you how many enterprises a customer runs or the obligations shaping their financial decisions.’

He notes that weak customer understanding leads to a mismatch between credit products and real needs, particularly for entrepreneurs and farmers. Lenders, he says, often prioritise collateral over cash flows.

‘A farmer comes to borrow to sell coffee, but the bank is more interested in a house in Muyenga,’ he says.

‘That tells you the business itself has not been understood. We keep saying agriculture is not bankable, but have we invested in understanding how agricultural businesses actually operate?’

Kabushenga argues that stronger customer profiling should begin long before a loan is requested. Banks should actively collect and update customer data, track financial behaviour over time, and engage clients early about future financing needs.

‘Call me before I need money and say, if one day you wanted to borrow, this is the information we would require,’ he says. ‘So when the time comes, the bank already understands my business.’

Beyond data, he believes banks should play a clearer advisory role. Lending decisions driven primarily by loan book growth, he warns, risk undermining customer sustainability.

‘The priority should not be how much money you have lent,’ he says. ‘It should be whether you have a quality customer who understands credit and applies it well.’

Financial expert Newton Buteraba locates the borrowing problem at the intersection of risk, timing, and human behaviour.

‘A loan is built around certainty,’ Buteraba, the House of Wealth chief executive officer, says.

‘Repayments are fixed and predictable. But a young business operates on probability. You are still testing the product, the market, and the supply chain. When certainty meets uncertainty, the result is pressure.’

He argues this mismatch explains why borrowing too early can destabilise startups and small enterprises.

At the point a loan is approved, the bank has already defined the repayment path, while the entrepreneur is still figuring out whether revenue will be consistent.

Buteraba also highlights the psychological dimension of borrowing.

‘Most loans are taken under emotional pressure,’ he says. ‘School fees, rent, emergencies, and social obligations create urgency. Short-term relief often crowds out future repayment capacity.’

The imbalance is widened by unequal preparation. Banks approach lending with teams of lawyers, valuers, and risk managers.

Individuals often arrive alone and unadvised. ‘Without guidance, customers negotiate from a position of weakness,’ he says, concluding that sustainable borrowing requires planning before money changes hands.

‘Debt should follow clarity, not urgency. When borrowers understand risk, timing, and obligations upfront, credit stops being a trap and starts enabling growth,’ Buteraba says.

Police in Uganda’s southwestern district of Kisoro have registered a sudden death after a 19-year-old student was allegedly killed by a lightning strike during heavy rainfall, authorities said on Tuesday.

The deceased, identified as Perfect Namara, was struck at around 7:00 pm on February 2, 2026, while inside a house in Kirundo Village, Kasharara Parish, Kirundo Sub-county, according to police.

She was in the house with her father, George Bitwite, and her sister-in-law, Gloria Tuyisishimye, when lightning struck, rendering all three unconscious.

After regaining consciousness, the father discovered that his daughter had died at the scene.

Kigezi regional police spokesperson ASP Elly Maate confirmed the incident, saying the case was reported at Kirundo Police Station by George Irinatwe, 46.

‘It is very unfortunate to lose such a young life. Police were promptly informed, and our officers, together with medical personnel, attended the scene to verify the details,’ ASP Maate said.

‘The body of the deceased remains at the scene pending arrangements for a postmortem examination. Inquiries are ongoing, and we extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved family,’ he added.

Police said the victim was a resident of Kirundo Village in Kisoro District. No further injuries were reported following the incident.

Lightning strikes are a recurring hazard in parts of Uganda, particularly during the rainy season.

The natural phenomenon results from electrostatic discharges between charged regions within clouds or between clouds and the Earth, producing intense flashes of light and thunder.

According to government data, more than a dozen people are killed by lightning annually in Uganda, often during heavy rainfall.

Authorities have previously urged communities to observe safety precautions during storms, including avoiding open spaces and unsafe structures, as investigations into the Kisoro incident continue.