Category: Daily Monitor

Police on Tuesday said they have arrested five suspects in connection with a string of aggravated robberies in the Kampala Metropolitan Policing Area, recovering three firearms in a major crackdown on organized urban crime.

The suspects, identified by Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Ms Racheal Kawala as discharged former army personnel Robinson Amutuhaire; Daniel Okello, a security guard at Fortebet Company; Arafat Kasango; Joseph Luyirika Innocent; and Daniel Alphonse, were apprehended during an operation between January 24 and 27, 2026, in Kiti A Zone, Kirinya Parish, Bweyogerere Division, Wakiso District.

‘During the operation, police recovered three guns and three magazines, along with other exhibits,’ Ms Kawala told reporters.

Authorities say the suspects are linked to a series of violent attacks targeting commuters and businesses in Kampala, including ‘boda boda’ (motorcycle taxi) riders ambushing motorists in traffic jams, break-ins at residential homes, illegal roadblocks, and smashing car windows to rob passengers.

Police further revealed that the suspects confessed to involvement in the murder of ASP Emmanuel Bagenda, Officer-in-Charge of Ntawo, Mukono Central Division, Mukono District.

Bagenda was shot dead on November 23, 2025, around 10:00 a.m. while patrolling Ntawo-Nyenje Road in Ntawo Cell, responding to an armed robbery incident.

Ms Kawala said the suspects also admitted to participating in numerous aggravated robberies, including mobile money heists across Kampala.

Law enforcement officials warn that criminal tactics have grown more sophisticated. Instead of opportunistic crimes, networks are now using coordinated strategies, exploiting urban security loopholes, and leveraging technology to evade police detection.

‘The rise in financially motivated and organized crime is particularly alarming, as criminal networks refine their methods to avoid detection,’ police officials said.

Investigators noted that the gangs often operate from isolated black spots, using them both as launch points for attacks and as escape routes.

Data from Uganda Police’s annual crime report for 2024 indicates that robbery cases increased by five percent, from 7,772 in 2023 to 8,163 in 2024.

Armed robberies targeting businesses and travelers have become increasingly sophisticated, highlighting a growing challenge for law enforcement in Kampala’s metropolitan area.

Police have urged citizens to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities while continuing to invest in preventive measures, including strategic patrols and community policing initiatives.

Ugandans will elect municipal mayors today. In Apac, candidates Patrick Ongom Eyul of Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC), Bonny McLain Odongo of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, and Andrew Awany (Independent) – are vying for the seat.

Incumbent Ongom is seeking re-election, citing progress on projects like new roads under the World Bank-financed Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID).

‘During the eight years I have been in office we have registered a very fast development in Apac Municipality, and I need to continue,’ he said. Mr Awany pledged to ‘guard public resources and correct the messes,’ once elected into office while Mr Odongo has promised infrastructural development such as roads.

Businessman Patrick Otim of Agulu Division wants a leader who will address the sorry state of public schools and roads, among others. In Kumi, candidates include George Okurut (Independent), Julius Okello (NRM), Godfrey Oluka of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and John Bosco Emenyat (Independent). Mr Okello, who has been serving as deputy mayor, said he was ‘confident of victory on condition that the people who belief in me turn up to vote’. However, Mr Oluka said the Electoral Commission should ensure the people’s will prevails.

In Lira, Soroti, Gulu, Mbarara, Jinja, Mbale, Hoima, Fort Portal, Masaka, and Arua cities, the mayoral elections will be held in the respective divisions. In Jinja, the EC has confirmed that it will use biometric voter verification (BVVK) machines in today’s polls. ‘These machines ensure that only eligible voters cast their ballots, and previous technical issues have now been resolved,’ said Ms Flavia Nakasi, Jinja City returning officer. According to Iganga returning officer Assey Nekesa, voters in the municipality will choose from 15 candidates contesting in the mayoral seat and the various council positions.

The Iganga municipal mayoral candidates are: Nasser Kongola (NUP), Grace Mivule (CMP), Sowedi Maganda (FDC), Michael Katumba Esagala (PFF), Asuman Dhabasadha (NRM), Wilberforce Mugonzi Wagoina (DF), Abubakar Kisambira (JEEMA) and Musa Ssengooba (Ind). Others are David Balaba (Ind), Enoch Ndhazuula (Ind), Taibu Khalifan (Ind), Sebata Fred (Ind), Kaziba Umar Wagoodo (Ind), Ngobi Paul (Indep), and Mawanda James Keith (Ind). Mbale City returning officer Micheal Arinatwe told Daily Monitor yesterday that everything was in place to ensure the polls are peacefully.

‘We call upon voters to turn up in large numbers and elect their leaders,’ he said. Among the candidates vying for Northern Division mayor seat include the NRM flag bearer, Mwanika George, Abdallah Magambo, (Ind), Chris Malinga Mbaga, (NUP) and Michael Jackson Kisolo, contesting as an independent.

Susan Knight has lived a fairly admirable long life with so much to learn. One to note from it is, she believes that there are processes worthy taking in order to achieve something or anything.

Knight cherished Saturday evening in company of some of her family members at the Entebbe Club’s halfway house adjacent to the tee-box of par-3 Hole No.10.

The senior golfer was announced as the overall winner of the year’s first Entebbe Monthly Tee presented by MTN thanks to a spectacular score of 64 nett off handicap 33.

‘I have been playing really badly lately but, (I) always hand in a card for compensations which I feel is important as a golfer,’ she told this paper late on Saturday.

‘My handicap moves accordingly, so today was a good round of golf by someone who plays regularly but not very good at golf. That is the most amazing thing about golf. You do not have to be a pro to grow and enjoy but just be honest to yourself and fellow golfers.’

Knight began playing golf almost two decades ago when she would be bored as her husband played squash at the club in DR Congo.

But the seed of love towards the game of swing sowed in 2009, had no inspiration from any individual. ‘I needed to do something while he played. The club had both sports available,’ Knight recalled.

On Saturday, Knight was most pleased with par-5 Hole No.11 where she got a bogey. Relatively, most golfers would desire much more but she thrives with least of satisfactions, after all there is much more life can give.

‘Golf is in my blood. Even if I did not win, I would always be back to try and improve my game,’ she added.

Knight a beat a field of about 190 players where Isaac Mariera was the seniors’ winner with 73 nett off handicap nine.

ENTEBBE MTN MONTHLY TEE

Overall Winner: Susan Knight 64 nett

Seniors Winner: Isaac Mariera 73 nett

Guest Winner: Joseph Luyima 67 nett

GROUP WINNERS – LADIES

GROUP A

Winner: Anne Abeja 69 nett

Runner-Up: Rukia Nalwoga 73 nett

GROUP B

Winner: Moureen Okura 66 nett

Runner-Up: Pamela Tumusiime 69 nett

GROUP WINNERS – MEN

GROUP A

Winner: Ronnie Kasirye 70 nett (c/b)

Runner-Up: Lino Anguzu 70 nett

GROUP B

Winner: Richard Mucunguzi 69 nett (c/b)

Runner-Up: Patrick Kagoro 69 nett

GROUP C

Winner: Steven Kitamirike 68 nett (c/b)

Runner-Up: Tesfaye Gurmu 68 nett

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has completed a Post-Financing Assessment (PFA) of Uganda, concluding that the country’s capacity to repay the Fund remains adequate, although subject to notable risks.

In a downside scenario involving large portfolio outflows, adverse terms-of-trade shocks, and further delays in the oil project, the IMF said repayment indicators would weaken but remain within adequate levels. On June 28, 2021, the IMF Executive Board approved a 36-month arrangement for Uganda under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF), amounting to $1b (about Shs3.54 trillion), to support the country’s post-Covid-19 economic recovery.

Staff assessments indicate that Uganda’s capacity to repay the Fund is adequate under both baseline and downside scenarios, with repayment indicators remaining below median thresholds for ECF-supported countries. Even under significant external and domestic shocks, the IMF noted that Uganda’s repayment position would remain manageable, although policy buffers could come under strain. According to the PFA completed on January 23 in Washington, DC, the IMF Executive Board observed that Uganda’s budget deficit widened to six percent of GDP in FY 2024/2025, up from 4.7 percent in FY 2023/2024, while public debt rose to 52.4 percent of GDP.

To safeguard macroeconomic stability and repayment capacity, IMF staff recommended a multi-pronged policy approach. Fiscal consolidation should be accelerated through durable domestic revenue mobilisation and rationalisation of current spending, the IMF Executive Board said. While welcoming Uganda’s updated domestic revenue mobilisation strategy, particularly its focus on improving tax administration, the IMF advised that authorities should also advance tax policy measures, including rationalising tax expenditures and broadening the tax base. The IMF further recommended prioritising Public Finance Management (PFM) reforms to enhance budget discipline and limit frequent in-year spending requests.

Effective implementation of the adopted oil revenue frameworks was described as critical to safeguarding oil revenues and preserving fiscal discipline. On monetary policy, the executive board advised maintaining a data-driven and forward-looking approach. As inflation risks recede, gradual monetary easing could support private sector credit growth. ‘Strengthening monetary policy transmission and promoting financial deepening, particularly through FinTech-enabled lending and improvements in credit infrastructure, will be critical to supporting private sector activity and fostering inclusive growth,’ the board said. The IMF also noted progress in limiting central bank financing, citing recent securitisation and repayments of Bank of Uganda (BoU) advances.

Adhering to the agreed repayment schedule and limiting BoU advances within the thresholds set under the PFM Act remains essential to mitigate fiscal dominance risks and preserve monetary policy credibility. Uganda adopted a flexible foreign exchange regime in 1993 following economic reforms undertaken between 1987 and 1994 with IMF and World Bank support. The IMF said exchange rate flexibility remains essential to absorbing external shocks and maintaining competitiveness. ‘Rebuilding foreign exchange reserves should continue in a sustainable and durable manner,’ the executive board said, adding that the pilot gold purchase programme could support reserve accumulation but must be carefully managed to mitigate financial and operational risks.

In its State of the Economy report published in December 2025, the Bank of Uganda said the financial sector remains sound and resilient, with the banking system adequately capitalised and liquid, and asset quality improving, as reflected in low non-performing loans. The central bank also reported that private sector credit expanded in the three months to October 2025, supported by stable macroeconomic conditions, stronger credit demand, and improved asset quality. The IMF Executive Board echoed this assessment, noting that Uganda’s financial sector remains resilient with strengthened capital buffers.

However, it cautioned that rising sovereign-bank linkages warrant close monitoring. Strengthening supervision, risk management, and the regulatory framework, particularly amid the expansion of FinTech lending, is necessary to safeguard financial stability. In concluding the PFA, IMF executive directors endorsed staff’s appraisal, noting that Uganda’s robust macroeconomic performance continued, supported by strong domestic demand, favourable external conditions, and prudent monetary policy.

Real GDP growth accelerated to 6.3 percent in FY 2024/2025, inflation remained contained, and the current account deficit narrowed significantly. Foreign exchange reserves increased and investor sentiment improved, reflecting high real returns and Uganda’s relative stability in a volatile regional environment. However, the directors cautioned that fiscal vulnerabilities are rising due to elevated deficits and a high debt-servicing burden. While public debt remains sustainable, they warned that it faces risks from domestic financing pressures and weaknesses in the budgetary process.

The government yesterday announced it will not compensate any individual or company that suffered financial losses during the four-day Internet shutdown.

ICT and National Guidance Minister, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, told this publication that any losses incurred between January 13 and 18 should be accepted as a sacrifice for national peace.

‘We are not compensating anybody who made losses. Digital services are integral, and we understand the implications of the shutdown, but we have to weigh them against the security concerns,’ he said.

ICYMI: Economic ramifications of Internet shutdown

Internet shutdown hurts mobile money users, security companies

Four-day internet shutdown stalled Shs1.4 trillion in fintech payments

He added: ‘Imagine if the whole country burns because of misinformation and disinformation, even the businesses cannot thrive, so all of us first secure the interest of our country, and whatever was lost should be taken as a sacrifice.’

Dr Baryomunsi’s remarks came shortly after the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) issued a statement confirming that Internet services, switched off on January 13 and partially restored on January 18, had now been fully reinstated.

‘The Uganda Communications Commission informs the General Public that internet services have been fully restored across the country, following successful completion of the necessary technical and security assessments. Members of the public can now access the Internet and all online services without the previously imposed restrictions,’ the statement, posted on UCC’s official social media platforms at exactly 12:40pm yesterday, read.

It added: ‘UCC sincerely appreciates the patience, cooperation and understanding shown during the period of limited Internet access and remains committed to monitoring the digital environment to promote a safe, stable and reliable online experience for all users.’ Uganda’s four-day Internet blackout, imposed ahead of the January 15 presidential and parliamentary elections, left a lasting scar on the economy, costing an estimated Shs57b and crippling vital digital services relied upon by millions daily. Data from the Cost of Shutdown Tool (COST) shows that the blackout, enforced more than 24 hours before polling day, drained nearly Shs15b from the economy each day, a case of money going down the drain.

The shutdown, ordered by UCC on the directive of security agencies, was justified as a measure to curb alleged online misinformation that authorities feared could spark electoral violence. But analysts argue the cure was worse than the disease, with economic consequences swept under the rug. For four days, Ugandans were left high and dry, unable to access mobile internet. Social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube were out of bounds, SIM card registration was halted, and digital financial services ground to a halt. Mobile money transactions, the lifeblood of Uganda’s cash-lite economy, were among the hardest hit.

MoMo Uganda Managing Director Richard Yego said on Monday that the company was still counting the cost. Industry data shows MTN MoMo alone handles transactions exceeding Shs430b daily, mostly small payments below Shs50,000. These micro-transactions keep the wheels of commerce turning, especially for low-income households and informal traders. Agent banking services, which extend banking to remote communities, were also thrown off balance. As of 2026, agent banking in Uganda transacts an estimated Shs80.5b per day, an activity that was severely curtailed during what UCC called a ‘temporary suspension.’

According to COST reports, platform-specific losses were eye-watering: Facebook and YouTube accounted for more than Shs3.5b per day, while WhatsApp alone bled over Shs7b daily. Although MTN Uganda and Airtel Uganda declined to comment on their losses, this newspaper’s calculations based on financial reports suggest a combined hit of roughly Shs20b. For instance, Airtel Uganda’s half-year report (January-June 2025) showed Shs525.73b in data revenue. Spread across 181 days, that’s Shs2.9b daily. The four-day blackout, therefore, cost Airtel about Shs11.6b. MTN’s unaudited nine-month results (January-September 2025) were also used to estimate losses, though the company has yet to put a figure on the damage.

Ms Rhona Kyongera, the senior manager of communications at MTN Uganda, said yesterday the exact amount lost has not been quantified. Mr David Birungi, the public relations officer at Airtel Uganda, said the firm is in a closed period and cannot comment on financial matters. Despite the losses, Ms Kyongera confirmed that MTN clients who purchased internet bundles but couldn’t use them during the blackout will be compensated.

‘Some of our clients have already been refunded, while others will continue to receive their bundles. As long as you were affected by the blackout, you will get your internet bundles back,’ she said.

MTN Uganda currently boasts 33.5 million active clients, with 11 million internet subscribers. Airtel has 7.5 million internet subscribers. Meanwhile, two advocates last week sued UCC and major telecoms: MTN Uganda, Airtel Uganda, and Tangerine Limited (Lyca Mobile), arguing that the shutdown was unconstitutional and unlawfully disrupted communication nationwide.

On January 13, ahead of the January 15 presidential and parliamentary polls, UCC, guided by security agencies, ordered all telecom companies and internet providers, including government-owned NITA-U, to pull the plug on internet services. The blackout remained in place during tallying, which saw incumbent NRM leader Yoweri Museveni declared the winner with 7.6 million votes, extending his rule to 45 years.

Voters in Ajuri County today go back to the polls to elect their Member of Parliament following the postponement of voting at 18 polling stations. Results from the affected polling stations could swing the outcome of the directly elected Member of Parliament race in Ajuri County, Alebtong District, and alter the political fortunes of the candidates.

The Electoral Commission (EC) has scheduled today for voting in the 18 polling stations where the election was earlier halted.

These include Arwot Primary School, Agogoro Primary School (A-AW), Awei Sub-county headquarters, and Alam ‘B’, Adagani. Others are Ogogoro Primary School (AX-Z), Wigweng Chapel, Awao, Abako Corner, Amia Yahweh Church, Teongora, Alengo Church of Uganda, Owalo Primary School, Amuk-Aol ‘A’, Okwalo Aboce, Amuka-Aola ‘B’ and Obanga Ber, all located in the parishes of Awori, Acede, Ojul and Owalo.

The electoral body ordered a fresh election in the affected polling stations after uncovering serious discrepancies. The decision followed a challenge by Mr Fred Jalameso, the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) candidate, who alleged that the declared results did not tally with those recorded at the polling stations.

Mr Jalameso was leading with 14,321 votes (44.5 percent) when results from 160 of the 178 polling stations had been tallied, followed by the Government Chief Whip and incumbent, Mr Denis Hamson Obua (NRM), with 12,963 votes (40.25 percent).

Other candidates included Mr Emmanuel Ongom Okwel of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), who polled 2,848 votes, while independents Stephen Omara and Jasper Molo garnered 1,558 and 507 votes respectively. The regional elections officer, Mr Jackson Igenyi Babirye, conducted a recount following Mr Jalameso’s complaint and discovered serious discrepancies, prompting the decision to hold a re-run.

Ajuri County in Alebtong District faces significant challenges that affect the daily lives of its 154,969 residents. One major concern is limited access to reliable information, with 9,020 people relying on word of mouth, while only 75 use television and 65 access social media, according to the 2024 National Population and Housing Census (NPHC) report.

Water and sanitation crisis

The county also struggles with inadequate water and sanitation facilities. The 2024 NPHC report shows that 5,897 people rely on unimproved water sources, 21,672 lack proper sanitation, and 2,769 practise open defecation. This situation persists despite district efforts to address the problem through the construction of boreholes and the promotion of hygiene practices.

Poor road network

A poor road network further compounds the challenges, making it difficult for families to transport sick relatives to health centres and move agricultural produce to Lira City. This not only affects access to healthcare but also stifles economic growth. Like the rest of northern Uganda, agriculture is the main economic activity in Ajuri County.

Most farmers practise subsistence farming to feed their families and sell surplus produce to meet household needs such as healthcare and education.

To fully exploit the area’s agricultural potential, residents say they need a reliable road network to transport goods to markets.

‘Farmers here are facing a tough time after recent floods washed away road crossings and bridges, cutting off access to markets, health centres and schools,’ Mr Lameck Ogwal, the chairman of Aminomugo Village in Owalo Parish, Awei Sub-county, said.

‘The water uprooted everything. The cassava is rotting in the soil. The maize gardens are gone. We eat what we can salvage, but when it is finished, I don’t know what will happen to our families,’ he added.

Last month, Cameroon lost one of its leading opposition political leaders when Anicet Ekane died in custody on December 1, 2025. Ekane, born in the 1950s, led the MANIDEM party, contested for the presidency in 2004 and 2011, and spent decades demanding democratic reform. Yet he died without trial, amid allegations of inadequate medical care, legal isolation, and state neglect. Uganda needs to pay attention, because today Dr Kizza Besigye, a man of similar political generation and stature, is in a dangerously familiar place. Like Ekane, Besigye was also born in the 1950s. Like Ekane, he has spent decades pushing for democratic change through organised political struggle rather than violence.

From PAFO to Reform Agenda, to the Forum for Democratic Change and now the People’s Front for Freedom , he has been the most consistent challenger of state power in Uganda since 2001 through mass mobilisation, legal petitions and non-violent protest. His party describes his condition as critical. The prisons service downplays it. But what cannot be denied is that Besigye’s health deterioration did not begin this year but traces back across years of tear gas, pepper spray, beatings during arrests, long detentions, and repeated siege operations around his home in Kasangati.

Those incidents damage the body slowly and prison merely accelerates the poor health. Ekane died waiting for justice. Besigye risks being dragged through endless legal processes despite a Supreme Court ruling against trying civilians in military courts. The question Ugandans must ask is simple: Do we want to wake up to international headlines announcing that Besigye has died in custody, while we argue for weeks about who is to blame? And Besigye is not alone. According to the National Unity Platform, many agents and supporters were arrested between December and January 2026, many on minor or politically flavoured charges such as ‘noise making,’ ‘unlawful assembly,’ and ‘drills.’

These are political detentions by another name, and they point to a deeper system that treats dissent as a security threat. If a man as prominent as Besigye can deteriorate in custody before our very eyes, what hope do the nameless and voiceless detainees have; those without lawyers, without platforms, and without family access? And for those who say ‘if he committed crimes, he must pay,’ that’s fair but payment in a democracy is through due process, not through medical neglect or endless trial. Justice is not a slow death; it is a lawful and timely verdict. If the State believes anyone has broken the law, let it prove it openly, within constitutional standards with civility.

Also, being in the Opposition is not a crime, President Museveni himself once spent years as an Opposition figure, criticising Idi Amin and Milton Obote, organising underground structures, and mobilising youth against state excesses. Would he have tolerated the treatment now being given to today’s dissenters? Besigye and all the political prisoners need to be tried or freed. Uganda is entering a delicate transition after 4o years of one leader. That journey requires listening to one another, not issuing military-style pronouncements. A nation matures when it learns to confront opposing views, not bury them. Lasting peace grows from dialogue, not suppression.

President-elect Yoweri Museveni yesterday maintained a bullish outlook of Uganda’s economy, social order and scorned critics of his presidency as he marked 40 years of uninterrupted rule, hinged on what political analysts have called a ‘carrot- and- stick’ approach. Officiating the 40th NRM Liberation Day at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, Mr Museveni, who came to power on January 26, 1986, following a five-year armed struggle, spoke about his four-decade leadership and his seven consecutive election victories and shed light on what he said are misconceptions regarding his government’s achievements over the years.

‘You have been hearing people saying that NRM has done nothing. Today, there is a paper called [Daily] Monitor, which had a headline that said ‘No change in 40 years’.’ Now I will show you here [what NRM has achieved]. The economy of Uganda has recovered and gone through five phases…’ he said. The Monday Monitor’s headline, ’40 years of no change,’ aimed to highlight Museveni’s continuous reign as the only president in a country that has known no other leader since 1986 but him. Mr Museveni talked of ‘minimum economic recovery’ and explained that ‘the economy had gone down, then NRM revived it.

Then expansion of the small colonial economy, which we had because [President] Idi Amin had killed it, so we brought it back and expanded it. Then we diversified the economy, and then added value to the raw material, and finally we are in the knowledge economy, like automobiles, and these are the five phases we handled the economy.’ Uganda’s economy has transformed from $3.9 billion (Shs13.6 trillion) in 1986 to the current $66.9 billion (Shs234.1 trillion) in size using the Forex method and $188 billion (Shs657.8 trillion) using the Purchasing Power Parity value method as of June last year.

Qualitative leap forward

Mr Museveni has on several occasions emphasised that the next phase is a ‘qualitative leap forward’ to transform the economy into a $500 billion high-middle-income economy by adding value to raw materials and promoting modern industrialisation. ‘The economy of Uganda, we are lucky. We have four sectors, like commercial agriculture: sugarcane, tea, palm oil, banana, and coffee, among others. The second sector is manufacturing, where we have constructed various industrial parks.that is why somebody told me that if you go to supermarkets, 65 per cent of the products sold there are made in Uganda.

The third sector is tourism: hotels, transport, tourism, real estate, entertainment, creative art, musicians, and so on, all of which are in the service sector,’ he said. He chest-thumped on the tremendous progress registered in the automobile sector, where buses manufactured by Kira Motors can move long distances and return safely and strong. ‘This is development, and we are going to develop more. This year, your oil will start flowing. The people who don’t care about Africa wanted to come and grab this oil.

The economy is moving very fast. We are growing at 7-percent now, with the oil, we are going to go to double digits,’ he said. President Museveni, in October last year, outlined eight key sectors where Uganda’s oil, which is expected to start flowing between mid-this year and early 2027, shall be invested to ensure continuity of the country’s stability and development. He noted that the first sector would be defence to strengthen the country’s security systems, roads and railways to ease transport, education to maximise literacy, and the health sector to improve people’s health.

Uganda’s oil, whose development has attracted both internal and external opposition, especially from environmental activists, is expected to reach peak production and bring in $2b (Shs6.8 trillion) annually in the next five years and, long term, increase the country’s GDP by around $8.6 billion (Shs29.5 trillion). This money, Mr Museveni believes, is enough to change Uganda’s fortune since the investment will increase the key sector funding, which shall facilitate the creation of more jobs to reduce unemployment in Uganda. He added that the oil money will also ease the management of the swelling public debt, whose interest alone is Shs11 trillion.

Poverty reduction

Elevation of the majority Ugandan households from subsistence to a money economy is another achievement Mr Museveni cited yesterday, even as he admitted that a few households are still poor. Among the many poverty alleviation programmes his government has initiated in the last 40 years, Mr Museveni praised the Parish Development Programme (PDM), which he said had brought smiles to countless families, some of which he personally saw during his campaigns. ‘During Independence, only nine percent were in the money economy. From the colonial times, we had a small group of people in the money economy.. And when we came after stabilising the country and when we checked, we found that still a small number was in money economy.

That’s is why we started all these programmes like Entandikwa, Naads, and other, where we would give soft loans and grants but when I checked in 2013, 32 percent of homes were in money economy while the rest were in subsistence and that is when we involved the army, which went around giving seedlings and when we checked in 2019, 61 percent were in money economy,’ he explained. The President said the PDM was among the measures he applied to ensure all Ugandans benefit. ‘In some places, the PDM money has been grabbed by three people: the focal person, parish chief, and the puppet chairman.

That is not how the PDM is supposed to be. It requires the general meeting of the entire parish that wants to eliminate poverty and elect their own committee, which shall select who benefits.,’ he said. Launched on February 27, 2022, by President Museveni in the poverty-stricken Bukedi Sub-region, the PDM is the latest government poverty alleviation programme that seeks to transform 39 percent of Ugandan subsistence households into a money economy, enhance their overall quality of life, alleviate poverty, and reduce vulnerability across the country. The government, through this programme, sought to organise the lowest administrative and operational hub for delivering services closer to the people and thereby fostering local economic development.

This, officials envisaged, could accelerate the implementation of Area-Based Commodity Development (ABCD) planning, which is vital for realising the quantity and quality of agricultural production required for agro-industrialisation and export development. The programme has seven pillars, including production, storage, processing, and marketing; infrastructure and economic services; financial inclusion; social services; mindset change; parish-based management information system and governance and administration, whose implementation would make the programme a success.

Beneficiaries, the majority being the poor, engaged in subsistence agriculture, including persons with disabilities (PWDs), youth, and the elderly, and other vulnerable poor, form different savings and credit cooperatives (Saccos) in which the government pumps in Shs100 million every financial year, and is lent to beneficiaries at a one per cent interest rate. A flat amount of Shs1 million is lent to the beneficiary, who in turn invests it in their ventures and starts paying back after three years, and it becomes a revolving fund. Managed at the parish level, the funds are allocated as follows, where the women get 30 per cent, youths (30 per cent), PWDs (10 per cent), the elderly (10 percent), and the rest of the categories share 20 per cent.

With the appointment of Chief Justice Flavian Zeija, Mr Museveni promised a corruption-free Judiciary that would deliver justice. He also emphasised the creation of jobs. The President last year told his NRM supporters that he is not poor and thus implored all of them to work and be rich like him.

‘If the homes don’t have wealth, how will the economy grow? We need roads, but what will families put on the roads? Those roads are built with borrowed money, but the families, companies, and individuals are not producing wealth; this is what we don’t agree with.The ghetto kids have been in poverty despite development being all over them; that’s why we must stop this diversion,’ he said.

Unemployment in Uganda has been on the rise, and the latest National Population Housing and Census (NHPC) report of the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) released in December last year indicated that about 700,000 unemployed Ugandans who are in the working age population spend more than a year looking for work or trying to start a business. The study showed that only 9.4 million out of the 25.1 million Ugandans who are in the 14-64 years age group working population are employed. The President spoke about his recent victory, where he garnered almost eight million votes, and added that if all the 10 million NRM supporters who snubbed the polls turned up, the Opposition would be no more.

The erosion of Uganda’s democratisation experiment may be approaching the point of no return. The rulers’ overt contempt for democracy is shared by their subjects. While the rulers employ the state’s instruments of coercion, violence and vote tally manipulation, their subjects are perfect enablers of the anti-democratic abuse that is inflicted on them. This shared dance is exemplified by the trading of votes that is a major symptom and catalyst of Uganda’s failed democratisation experiment. What began as a promising transition from authoritarian rule exactly 40 years ago this week, is now an obscene supermarket for the exchange of money, goods, and services for votes.

Many have correctly emphasised the role of suppression of political opponents through physical violence, incarceration, and restricted access to political campaigns. Others correctly identify the role of regional and international powers as enablers of Uganda’s political crisis. All that is true, of course. However, my focus today is on voter bribery in the hollowing out of democratic institutions, which has created a vicious cycle that perpetuates authoritarian governance while maintaining a democratic façade. Vote buying in Uganda operates through sophisticated and multi-layered systems. At the most visible level, candidates and their agents distribute cash directly to voters, particularly in the days and hours before polling.

These payments typically range from a few thousand to tens of thousands of Ugandan shillings, modest sums that nonetheless hold significant value in a country where many live in poverty. Nearly all candidates, regardless of party, engage in this immoral, anti-democratic behaviour. Beyond direct cash payments, vote buying takes more subtle forms. Politicians distribute so-called essential goods such as sugar, salt, soap, and cooking oil. They pay school fees for voters’ children, provide building materials for homes and churches, and offer agricultural inputs like seeds and fertilisers. Waragi and other potent alcoholic beverages are vote winners in Kigyezi and many other regions.

These material exchanges create networks of obligation and dependency that extend far beyond election day. The ruling party has systematically weaponised state resources for electoral advantage. Government programmes ostensibly designed for poverty alleviation have become vehicles for political patronage. The distribution of funds through schemes like the Parish Development Model or youth livelihood programmes often correlates suspiciously with electoral calendars and favours areas supporting the incumbent. Political culture also plays a role. Many Ugandans have come to view elections as opportunities for extracting resources from politicians rather than mechanisms for holding leaders accountable.

This transactional view of politics reflects rational adaptation to a system where elected officials rarely deliver on campaign promises and where voters have limited means to punish poor performance. If politicians are going to steal once in office anyway, the logic goes, voters might as well get something tangible during campaigns. Widespread poverty creates vulnerability to inducements that would seem trivial in wealthier societies. When families struggle to afford necessities, even small payments can influence voting decisions, particularly when voters perceive little meaningful difference between candidates or doubt that electoral outcomes will substantially improve their lives.

The chairman of a Local Council in Mparo, Kigyezi, told me that he did not expect any service from his newly elected MPs. ‘They gave me money and T-shirts, and I supported them to go and get their riches and fame,’ he said with a smile. I know him to be a very intelligent man. The weakness of democratic institutions enables vote buying to occur with impunity. Uganda’s Electoral Commission is not independent. Despite its claims of neutrality, its track record suggests otherwise.

Law enforcement selectively prosecutes electoral violations, targeting Opposition figures while ignoring similar or worse violations by ruling party candidates. The Judiciary, increasingly packed with ruling party loyalists, rarely delivers meaningful accountability for electoral fraud. The Opposition’s own weaknesses paradoxically enable vote buying to thrive. Fragmented, under-resourced, and frequently repressed, Opposition parties struggle to build sustained grassroots organisations that could compete with ruling party patronage networks.

Opposition Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party President Jimmy Michael Akena has launched a campaign to revive cattle dips in northern Uganda, aiming to combat tick infestations that have long plagued local farmers.

Through his Akena Jimmy Foundation, two dips have already been restored in Lango Sub-region.

One in Omoro Sub-County, Alebtong District dates back to 1972 under former President Apollo Milton Obote, while the oldest in Lango, in Akokoro Sub-County, Apac District, is operational for the first time since 1987, after decades of war and cattle rustling left herds decimated. Obote was Akena’s father.

‘This facility is to help the community take care of their cattle in a better way. The cost and the ability of mixing the sprays, keeping them is dangerous since they contain dangerous chemicals,’ Akena said on Sunday.

‘But when you have a dip, something which the community can use over a period of time. with the help of the veterinary doctor, we shall ensure this dip is monitored from time to time,’ he added.

Akena emphasized that the initiative honors community-based solutions while restoring cattle populations.

‘This is something which is cost effective, it brings the community together and has been a method which has worked for a long time. So as we try to rebuild our lives and restore our cattle population within Northern Uganda, our target is to build 80 dips in Northern Uganda,’ he said.

Local farmers welcomed the revival, citing relief from the cost of chemical sprays.

Pantileo Olul, a resident of Omoro, said: ‘This dip here will help us a lot. Before its revamping, we had a lot of problems which were affecting our animals. We had problems with ticks and the skins of our animals were not looking that good.’

‘We have been spending too much money trying to keep our animals alive. Sometimes we would spend Shs 3,000 on each cow while spraying, but now with the construction of this dip, it is cost effective since each farmer shall be paying Shs 300 for spraying one cow,’ he added.

Isaac Apenyo, LC3 chairperson of Omoro Sub-County, urged residents to use the dip to combat tick-borne diseases.

‘As the head of the political wing at the Omoro Sub-County local government level we shall put a budget in the council such that we allocate some funds for maintenance of this dip,’ he said.

Ticks remain a major threat to livestock, spreading diseases such as East Coast fever and reducing productivity.

With cattle central to livelihoods in northern Uganda, the restoration of dips is expected to improve animal health, boost milk and beef production, and ease economic burdens on households.