Category: Daily Monitor

The ongoing exchange between Dr Yusuf Serunkuma and Hon Simon Mulongo in The Observer newspaper is a refreshing breath of fresh air in a public square fouled by insults, demagoguery and ad hominem vitriol.

Here, at the risk of bastardising and even misreporting, is a summary of the argument. Dr Serunkuma makes a moral appeal to President Museveni, now in his fortieth year in charge, to “give Uganda a change” and hand over power peacefully, to avoid the chaos that many worry could erupt if he dies in office.

Hon Mulongo, on the other hand, argues that the emphasis on Museveni’s longevity and biological age is a sideshow in a relatively young post-conflict polity still suffering the birth pangs of state-building. “The real question,” he posits, “is not whether Uganda should transition, but how”.

The two protagonists remind us that it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable, although both alternative views suffer from substantial defects that a post-Museveni Uganda will have to cure and bridge.

Dr Serunkuma’s argument that it is not too late for President Museveni to “do the right thing” has at least two flaws. First, it presupposes that the incumbent knows or believes that Uganda would be better off with him out of office than in it.

There’s little to show this to be the case. In his long political and military career, the number of times Mr Museveni has been a visibly happy and content bit-part player, even as a number two, adds up to the grand figure of zero.

As he traverses the countryside on the campaign trail on roads and through towns that did not exist even 20 years ago, Mr Museveni sees, with merit, evidence of his hard work and justification for his need to carry on. The President’s frame of reference is not what Uganda needs to be in 2066; it is what Uganda was in 1986. Objects in the rearview mirror are closer than they appear to be.

The second flaw is that Dr Serunkuma’s moral argument misjudges human nature. If the world were, by default, a good and happy place where wolves grazed alongside lambs, society would have evolved to create incentives for us to do some bad, not laws to keep us in check.

It is not the default human condition to hand over power willingly. As long as the incentives to stay on outweigh the disincentives, most leaders will cling on. Hope and appealing to a leader’s good heart are not good political strategies.

Hon Mulongo does not dwell on human nature but on material political conditions. Citing examples from Libya, Sudan, Mali and elsewhere, he argues that leadership change as an end in itself can “trigger elite fragmentation and authoritarian relapse when institutional scaffolding is thin”.

This is a correct observation, as is the need he identifies, to control the security sector, clarify national direction, and manage elite competition without state rupture.

Hon Mulongo’s proposal, in lieu of an abrupt presidential exit, is for “a carefully engineered succession” and “institutional maturation” to consolidate democracy. The flaw in this argument should be self-evident: there is no need for carefully engineered successions if institutions are allowed to mature and become firmer than the sum of their parts, founding fathers, and foundational instruments.

In addition, power is a finite resource that enables the rise of strong individuals or institutions, but not both. Strong and long-serving individuals develop expertise, acquire experience and bring equilibrium to complex systems and processes like statecraft and nation-building.

But the opportunity cost of strong leaders is weak institutions that are unable to hold together the state, and the longer individuals reign, the weaker institutions become.

Unfortunately, science has not yet evolved to find a way around the law of biology, which states that all living organisms begin to die the moment they are born. In that sense, both Dr Serunkuma and Hon Mulongo are right to worry about an abrupt presidential exit.

The problem in Libya, Sudan, Zaire, Iraq and elsewhere isn’t that strong and experienced leaders who maintained the equilibrium exited suddenly. It is that these leaders were never going to be sustainable substitutes for strong institutions.

States are forged through violence and the visionary leadership of a few. They are held together by the enlightened and self-interested consensus of the many, through institutions.

On January 15, 2026, Uganda will head to the polls in a contest that falls a few weeks shy of the 30th anniversary of the country’s first universal suffrage election under the National Resistance Movement (NRM).

While the 2026 vote will happen within a multiparty framework, its makeup still owes much to the seeds sown during the May 9, 1996, ‘no-party’ presidential election and the June 27 parliamentary ballot that followed. That election was more than a transition from guerrilla-military to half-civilian mandate; it was the primary laboratory where the NRM developed the tactical and administrative mechanisms that define the Ugandan State today, and the logic of the electoral repression of the Opposition.

Security heads in Busoga sub-region have taken measures to ensure peace as Uganda prepares for polls on January 15. In anticipation of election-related violence, they have identified hot spots and are employing strategies to maintain peace.

Kaliro Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Mr Enock Wandera, disclosed that two sub-counties in Bulamogi North West constituency have been blacklisted, prompting focused efforts to prevent potential violence.

“In Kaliro, we have blacklisted two sub-counties in Bulamogi North West constituency, represented by Minister Fredrick Ngobi Gume (Independent) and Mr Patrick Kasajja (NRM), so security forces have focused efforts on preventing potential violence ahead of the elections,” Mr Wandera said.

To curb violence, methods such as reconciliation and arrests are being used. Mr. Wandera explained that stakeholders, including commanders of groups threatening violence, are being engaged in community meetings to discuss peaceful ways of handling grievances. “Stakeholders, including commanders of groups threatening violence, are being engaged in community meetings to discuss peaceful ways of handling grievances, noting that they are permanent residents while elections are only seasonal,” he said.

Namayingo RDC, Ms. Eva Nalongo Kwesiga, expressed hope that peace will be maintained, crediting the integration of ‘Ghetto boys’ into the NRM system for keeping Namayingo peaceful during campaigns. “‘Ghetto boys’ were the main sources of unrest during previous campaigns, but they are now working alongside security personnel to strengthen safety and order,” Ms. Kwesiga said.

Bugiri RDC, Mr. Paul Kalikwani Makakanyara, highlighted two tactics: no provocation and transparency by polling officials. “My security committee advises security operatives not to provoke civilians, and reminds civilians to refrain from insulting them, as we have found such behavior to be a threat to peace,” he said. He also emphasized the importance of transparency, instructing election officers to declare the candidate with the highest number of votes as the winner.

Jinja City Resident Commissioner, Mr. Richard Gulume, said leaders are being engaged to preach peace in their communities.

“We have met church leaders, market vendors, and boda boda leaders to equip them with messages of peace as we go into the elections,” he said, expressing satisfaction that this approach is yielding results, with no major incidents of chaos recorded in the city since the start of campaigns.

Busoga East Police spokesperson, Mr Michael Kasadha, announced that sufficient security personnel have been deployed.

“As police, we have increased our numbers, reinforced by other security agencies, so there is no cause for alarm regarding peace in my region,” he said, warning that there will be no confrontation between security personnel and civilians unless people break the law.

Mr Kasadha warned that arrests will be made against any group attempting to disturb the peace during or after the elections.

The United States government, on January 6, placed Uganda among 37 other nations whose citizens must now post a visa bond before either being granted a visa or facing rejection.

Also affected are Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Central African Republic, Cote D’Ivorie, Cuba, Djibouti,Guinea Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe, among others. According to Washington, this measure is meant to rein in visa overstays. Those who flout the rules will forfeit their bond, while travellers who play by the book and return home will see their money refunded.

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The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has petitioned the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) over the continued trial of civilians in military courts, accusing the State of defying binding Supreme Court decisions and undermining constitutional governance.

The petition comes a day after members of General Court Martial were sworn in following their appointment by President Museveni.

The ceremony was presided over by the Principal Judge, Ms. Jane Frances Abodo. Those sworn in included Brig. Gen. Richard Tukacungurwa, the chairperson of the General Court Martial, Col. Simon Tusah Wankandya, Col. Asha Patra, Col. Fredrick Kangwamu, and Col. Raphael Mugisha. Others were Lt. Col. Mohammedie Nasser Igambi, Maj. Samuel Moses Amodoi, Maj. Emmanuel Arihaihi, Maj. Abubaker Nyombi, and Maj. Denis Chemtai.

The appointments followed the Uganda People’s Defence Forces’ (UPDF) decision to reconstitute the General Court Martial and other divisional military courts, a move ULS says directly contradicts a Supreme Court ruling that barred the trial of civilians by military tribunals.

‘In pursuit of accountability, we have filed Reference No. 14 of 2025, ULS v Attorney General, before the East African Court of Justice, seeking regional intervention and demanding that the Government of Uganda takes meaningful steps to comply with the Supreme Court’s decree and the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community,’ Mr. Isaac Ssemakadde, ULS president, said.

He added, ‘The reconstitution of the General Court Martial with criminal jurisdiction over civilians, coupled with public statements by senior military officers endorsing the practice, amounts to an abrogation of the constitutional order.’

Mr. Ssemakadde cited the Supreme Court decision in Kabaziguruka v Attorney General (Constitutional Appeal No. 2 of 2021), in which the court ruled that the General Court Martial is not a competent court within the meaning of the Constitution and lacks the independence and impartiality required to try civilians, effectively nullifying all such trials.

Despite the ruling, Parliament on May 20, 2025, passed the UPDF (Amendment) Act, which continues to permit the trial of civilians before military courts. ULS argues that the law violates the principle of constitutional supremacy and the doctrine of separation of powers.

‘Supreme Court judgments are final and binding on all organs of State, including the Executive, Parliament, and the military, and cannot be circumvented through legislative or administrative action,’ Mr. Ssemakadde said. ‘Court decisions are not optional, especially when they restrain State power. Where the Supreme Court has spoken, compliance is mandatory,’ he added.

The lawyers’ body also expressed concern over what it described as judicial inaction, noting that the Supreme Court has declined to hear applications for contempt of court arising from the Kabaziguruka decision, while the Constitutional Court has delayed hearing petitions challenging the UPDF (Amendment) Act. According to ULS, the delays have denied Ugandans a timely and effective forum to challenge what it calls an unconstitutional law.

Mr Ssemakadde warned that ULS would not remain silent in the face of what he termed growing impunity and said the society would pursue non-judicial avenues to defend constitutionalism if judicial remedies continue to be delayed or denied.

The High Court in Kampala has sentenced a Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) officer to 27 years in prison and a police officer to 37 years for their roles in the murder of a businessman. Court found the duo guilty in the murder of Rukungiri businessman Goddie Anobushoborozi. Delivering the sentence yesterday, Justice Alex Mackay Ajiji said the punishment reflected each convict’s degree of participation in a crime that led to the loss of life under what he termed ‘absurd circumstances’.

Detective Corporal Lawrence Muheki, a serving police officer at the time of the offence and described by the court as the mastermind, was sentenced to 37 years in jail. UPDF Capt Moses Akiba, who the court found to have participated in planning and staging the ambush, was handed a 27-year jail term. Five other convicts also received lengthy custodial sentences. Frank Mugisha was sentenced to 18 years, Rashid Kashaija to 30 years, Hillary Ahumuza to 35 years, Abed Mwesiga to 27 years, and Rodney Rwakimari to 27 years. The court ordered that the time each convict spent on remand-ranging from more than six to nearly seven years-should be deducted from the sentences.

‘This court is mandated to pass sentences aimed at rehabilitating offenders and deterring others,’ Justice Ajiji said. ‘In this particular case, a life was lost in absurd circumstances. The deceased was a successful person who left behind a family.’ During sentencing submissions, Chief State Attorney Irene Nakimbugwe urged court to impose stiff penalties, citing aggravating factors surrounding the killing. She told the court that murder attracts a maximum sentence of death and that the facts of the case justified severe punishment for culprits. ‘The deceased was a family man whose relatives are in court today. He was brutally murdered through gunshots to the head at close range, showing clear premeditation,’ Ms Nakimbugwe said.

She outlined the role of each convict, submitting that Mugisha laid the ambush, Akiba maintained constant communication with the co-accused and was aware the killing was to be paid for, and Kashaija physically engaged the deceased. Ahumuza, she said, fired the fatal shot, while Muheki-who owed the deceased money-masterminded the plot. Ms Nakimbugwe added that the State had a duty to protect citizens and that courts must impose deterrent sentences, particularly where security officers abuse their positions. In mitigation, defence lawyer Sylvia Namawejje asked the court to consider the convicts’ ages, family responsibilities, lack of prior convictions for some, and the long period spent on remand.

She said Mugisha was a first-time offender, who cooperated with investigators, Akiba had no known criminal record and played a secondary role, while Ahumuza was a father and sole breadwinner, who pursued studies while on remand. For Kashaija, counsel argued that his previous conviction was under appeal and should not weigh heavily against him. Some of the convicts also addressed the court. Kashaija asked for mercy, citing family responsibilities, while Muheki maintained his innocence, claiming the evidence against him was fabricated and appealing for leniency due to his age and health.

In his sentencing remarks, Justice Ajiji said Muheki’s conduct was particularly aggravating. ‘Being a police officer with a duty to protect people and their property, he instead left the deceased’s family in ruins,’ the judge said. The court informed the convicts of their right to appeal within 14 days. Justice Ajiji had in his judgment on Tuesday, found that the convicts acted with a common intention, lured the businessman from his home on the promise of payment, and ambushed him on Rukungiri-Buhunga Road, where he was shot dead at close range.

Boxer Alex Kanaabi, who won a bronze medal at the Africa Zone 3 Championships in October, has died of poison, his family said Thursday.

Kanaabi won the light middleweight league title on Boxing Day-his last ring appearance before his abrupt death in the wee hours of Thursday. He was around 23.

News of his worrying health state first spread on WhatsApp groups around 6 pm. It was reported that he had been badly beaten by gangs, commonly known as Eggaali. Soon, videos showed him in an ambulance and later on a hospital bed.

Then followed photos of a young man with deep wounds in his lower back and lower abdomen. The first photo showed Kanaabi lying in a black t-shirt and black track pants with white stripes on the sides. As usual, he was dark skinned. And fleshy, with no signs of body wounds.

The other pictures showed a skinny, light-skinned man in tight jeans, red underwear, as medics dressed his wounds. The pictures did not show his face.

Despite the striking differences between Kanaabi’s first photo and the latter images, the post escalated the fear for his life as much as the narrative that he had been beaten and stabbed.

But a lady who told Daily Monitor that she is Kanaabi’s mother said the boxer died of poison. She said she had last seen him around 9 pm Tuesday when he went to sleep.

‘But he hadn’t been seen yesterday [Wednesday]. I returned from work at about 6 pm and I had a nap. Then the kids came and told me Alex is in his house but does not answer phone calls,’ she told us on the phone.

‘I went to his door and heard that he was breathing abnormally. That’s when we forced the door open. I saw volumes of foam in his mouth. He was motionless, one of his hands beneath his body. I called for a car to evacuate him.’

‘At Good Samaritan Hospital Kireka, he was not attended to. They told us to go to a facility that does thorough heart tests,’ the mother said.

‘At Healthstone Medical Centre in Banda, they put him on oxygen support, but there was no improvement. Then they referred us to Nsambya [Hospital].

There, the diagnosis revealed that Kanaabi was suffering from effects of a very strong poison.

‘Doctors said it had badly damaged his brain. That is why all the other organs were dysfunctional.’

Worse still: ‘They told us his chances of surviving are very minimal. ‘But if we try the ICU, you never know.” the mother quoted medics.

But there were no vacancies at Nsambya’s ICU.

‘We tried accessing nearby hospitals and failed. We ended up in Kiruddu [National Referral Hospital].

At Kiruddu, doctors tried to flush out the poison.

‘They drew lots of green stuff, and doctors said the poison was likely a pesticide.’

‘When he started urinating through a catheter, we got some hope. But the machines abruptly stopped. They tried something. But Alex was gone.’

News of his death started showing in WhatsApp groups after 3am.

Earlier on, a phone audio conversation between a seemingly young woman and a man who was one of Kanaabi’s first responders circulated on WhatsApp. The woman was giving updates from hospital and said ‘The doctors have told us he tried committing suicide.’

But Kanaabi’s mother ruled out the possibility of suicide. ‘I don’t believe he poisoned himself because I checked his room thoroughly and I saw nothing like evidence,’ she said.

We, however, could not engage her further, considering her emotional state and the fact that other people wanted to contact her at the same time.

Peak and drop

Ironically, 2025 was Kanaabi’s best boxing year. After switching from the welterweight division, he boxed his way back into the Uganda Boxing Champions League, winning light middleweight gold at the National Open Championship. In the final, he defeated Ashraf Mutaasa of Kibuli Mutajjazi 5-0.

He would go on to dominate the 71kg division in the league with crucial victories against the terrific Nerrick ‘Bulabe’ Tumusiime, and Depark Mawanda in the final on Boxing Day to emerge the 2025 light middleweight champion.

In October, Kanaabi made his Bombers debut, winning bronze at the Africa Zone 3 Boxing Championships in Nairobi. Sadly, he will never throw another jab.

His sudden death has evoked memories of Charles Kalibbala, aka Bala Geko, a rising star who died October 16, 2023, in Mulago Hospital after sustaining wounds in what some reported as a motor accident, though other sources called it assault.

BRIEFLY:

Name: Alex Kanaabi

Club: Nakawa

Lived in: Kireka

Honours: National Open, gold;

League, gold; Africa Zone III, bronze

Division: light middle

Died: January 8, 2026

Cause: poison

One of the youth mobilisers of President Museveni in Busia District was last evening shot dead by a Uganda People’s Defence Forces soldier (UPDF) during violent clashes between the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) supporters.

Aaron Mukisa, a resident of Nawante village, Namungodi Town Council, was shot dead at around 6 pm on January 7, 2026, after NRM supporters clashed.

Mukisa’s family told this publication that he was shot at close range by a soldier attached to Minister of State for Regional Cooperation, Mr John Mulimba, who is also the incumbent MP for Samia North constituency.

ICYMI: Village council chief dead, 10 injured in violent political clashes between family members

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Following the shooting, violence erupted, leaving Samia North constituency candidate John Paul Wandera’s supporter, identified only as Ndeke, in critical condition after he was beaten by rival supporters.

Mr Wandera is campaigning to become Samia North MP on the Independent ticket after he lost the NRM flag to Mr Mulimba.

Another victim of the violence, Mr Peter Simwero, a local DJ in Namungodi Town Council, sustained head injuries after he was allegedly stabbed with a bayonet by a soldier.

Another victim, Mr Robert Osinya, said they were attacked by the soldiers minutes before 7pm as they gathered at Mr Wandera’s office in Namungondi Town Council.

‘We were at the office when the minister’s convoy, with police patrol cars, a UPDF vehicle and his supporters on motorcycles, arrived at the trading centre,’ Mr Osinya said.

He said Mr Mulimba’s supporters, armed with stones and sticks, attacked them before violence broke out.

Some of the soldiers in Mr Mulimba’s company reportedly fired shots in the air as others beat up Mr Wandera’s supporters clad in NRM T-shirts.

Mr Osinya added that one soldier singled out Mukisa and beat him repeatedly as he pleaded for his life.

‘He had already surrendered due to the beatings. I heard him cry out, ‘I am a supporter of President Museveni, don’t beat me, don’t shoot me,” Mr Osinya said.

According to Osinya, the soldier cocked his gun and shot Mukisa before running back to jump onto a waiting military truck that sped off.

Mukisa’s body, clad in the yellow T-shirt with President Museveni’s portrait, was left on the roadside, lying in a pool of blood as the soldiers drove away.

Efforts to reach John Mulimba were unsuccessful, as our repeated phone calls to his known telephone numbers went unanswered.

However, sources in Mulimba’s camp alleged that Mukisa had stoned the UPDF soldier, prompting the shooting.

‘He pelted the soldier with stones; that is why he was shot,’ a source said.

Mr Osinya dismissed this claim, saying Mukisa never threw stones.

‘He was a humble young man and never involved in any act of violence,’ Mr Osinya said.

The shooting happened as Mr Mulimba’s was returning from a campaign rally in Mayombe

The race for Samia North constituency has increasingly become intense with violent episodes witnessed as the country enters the final stretch of campaigns ahead of the January 15, 2026 polls.

The incumbent MP, Mr Mulimba is facing a stiff challenge from independent candidate, Wandera, locally known as Team Nkolerawo, and John Okumu Emurut, both NRM. All the three contenders are NRM leaning.

Mr Kenneth Ojambo of Namungodi Town Council, who joined NRM from the National Unity Platform last year, said he is reconsidering his support following Mukisa’s killing.

‘When soldiers shoot innocent people campaigning for President Museveni just for not supporting the minister, then there is a serious problem,’ Mr Ojambo said.

One of Mukisa’s family members, Mr John Maholo, asked the government to take action, questioning the state of democracy in the country.

‘President Museveni should investigate why a soldier would recklessly shoot an innocent young man,’ he said.

Namungodi Town councillor, Mr Stanley Wejuli called the shooting barbaric and aimed at undermining Museveni’s votes.

‘Shooting an innocent young man for not supporting Mr Mulimba is sad and meant to hurt NRM and the president,’ he said.

BACKGROUND

Despite backing President Museveni since 1996, voters in Busia have repeatedly rejected his ministers at parliamentary elections.

Notable examples include:

1996: Minister Gabriel Oppio lost to Chango Macho in Samia Bugwe South.

2001: Oppio, then Minister of State for Finance, was defeated by Simon Mayende Enyanda, who later lost to Oppio in 2006.

2011: Oppio was again voted out, with Julius Wandera Maganda winning Samia Bugwe South; in the same year, Minister Aggrey Awori lost Busia Municipality to FDC’s Kevinah Taaka Wanaha.

2016: Minister Nekesa Babra lost the Busia District Woman MP seat to Jane Nabulindo Kwoba.

2021: Minister Julius Maganda Wandera lost Samia South to Odero Were.

Reputation Poll International said the 2026 edition, released on January 2 under the theme ‘A Benchmark of Trust, Integrity and Impact,’ is not a measure of popularity or wealth, but an assessment of ethical leadership and influence.

Several African leaders, innovators, and change-makers, including four Ugandans have been named among the 100 Most Reputable Africans for 2026, according to a continental honours list released by Reputation Poll International in partnership with the Global Reputation Forum. The annual list, published on the organisation’s official platforms, recognises individuals whose leadership, integrity, and social impact have distinguished them across sectors such as diplomacy, business, science, technology, culture, and social development.

The National Youth Council (NYC) leaders affiliated with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) have threatened to boycott the January 15 polls, citing delayed mobilisation facilitation.

The youth leaders say they’ve been mobilising support for their party chairperson and presidential candidate, President Yoweri Museveni, in their various districts across the country, but have not received any support as promised.

“We are reliably informed that resources meant to empower National Youth Leaders were released but never reached the young people who sleep hungry after mobilization, walk long distances to serve, sacrifice their livelihoods for the party. Instead, they were allegedly swallowed by small cartels,” said Mr Stephen Ndyamuhaki, Secretary Finance, Rwampara District Youth Council.

The NYC represents over 648,000 elected youth leaders, majority of whom are from NRM and independents. The youth leaders claim they’ve been sidelined from political mobilisation despite promises from the NRM Secretary General and President Museveni.

“In every single village of Uganda, there are nine youth leaders chosen by their peers. At parish, sub-county and district levels, these structures exist, live, and are rooted in the people. This is not a small group, not noise, this is the heartbeat of Uganda’s youth,” Mr Ndyamuhaki said.

The youth leaders are ready to meet President Museveni to discuss their grievances. “Many of us started mobilisation on the ground based on the president’s promise, and we’ve done it effectively in our districts. We want to remind him that yes, he trusted some people, but those people haven’t delivered his promise to us,” said Mr Alex Wamakota.

Edith Ayebare, Secretary Female Affairs, Isingiro District Youth Council, highlighted the challenges faced by female youth leaders, saying, “We are just like pictures. We’re not given any role, not because we’re against the government… We thank you for thinking about us and giving us the position of females at the district, but still, we’re disempowered and not performing any role.”

The youth leaders’ threat to boycott the polls comes amid concerns about the transparency of the electoral process and the treatment of opposition groups in Uganda.