Category: Daily Monitor

Uganda’s opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, on Wednesday challenged President Museveni to sack the head of the Electoral Commission (EC) if he genuinely believes the 2021 General Election was manipulated against him.

Bobi Wine, the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate, said both he and Museveni have accused the Justice Simon Byabakama-led commission of presiding over electoral malpractice, raising questions about the commission’s credibility ahead of the January 15 polls.

‘We are all complaining that our votes were stolen during the 2021 General Election. Our candidates are currently being unfairly nominated by Justice Byabakama. Gen Museveni also complained that 2.7 million of his votes were rigged under the watch of the same commission. Let him sack Byabakama if he is genuine in what he says,’ Bobi Wine told supporters at a rally at Kitoffaali Trading Centre in Kyannamukaaka Town Council, Masaka District.

Museveni, Uganda’s incumbent president and National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer, has since 2021 alleged that opposition supporters manipulated results in their stronghold Buganda region during the last election.

In September 2024, Museveni accused NUP of stealing up to one million of his votes in Buganda.

He repeated the claim on December 15, 2025, while addressing a rally at Kasambya Diocese playground in Mubende District, this time saying 2.7 million votes were rigged through ballot stuffing or multiple voting.

The 2021 election was won by Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, but was unsuccessfully challenged in court by Bobi Wine, who has repeatedly claimed he was the ‘president-elect.’

Delivering his New Year 2026 address on Wednesday night, Museveni urged Ugandans to turn up in big numbers and vote, declaring ‘Uganda secure’, and the NRM party ‘unstoppable.’

Under the Ugandan Constitution, the president appoints Electoral Commission commissioners and is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Justice Byabakama was first appointed EC chairperson by Museveni in November 2016, replacing Eng Badru Kiggundu. He was reappointed last year for another seven-year term that allows him to oversee the January 15 elections.

Meanwhile, still at the Masaka rally, Bobi Wine also faulted the commission for nominating Jamil Kivumbi as NUP flag bearer for the Bukoto Central parliamentary race, despite the party endorsing Alex Kalinzi Ntamu.

‘NUP is a fully registered political party and we reserve the right to endorse candidates, not EC. We wrote to them to rectify this, but they are still adamant,’ he said.

Bobi Wine further pledged to return land to displaced rightful owners and urged residents to keep proof of ownership.

Masaka District Woman MP Joan Namutaawe told the rally that lack of electricity in nearby villages was stifling development.

‘Mr President, we are a few kilometers away from Masaka City, but some villages here still lack electricity. Which gains can these protect?’ she asked.

Masaka sub-region remains a stronghold of the opposition. In the 2021 presidential election, Museveni garnered 14,992 votes in Masaka City against Bobi Wine’s 53,444, according to EC figures. In Masaka District, Bobi Wine polled 23,132 votes compared with Museveni’s 11,317.

Political observers attribute NRM’s poor performance in the region to unfulfilled industrial pledges, land evictions, enforced disappearances of opposition supporters and rising corruption.

Museveni, seeking to extend his rule to 45 years, has won every election since 1996. Uganda’s Supreme Court has previously acknowledged widespread electoral irregularities but upheld results, ruling they did not substantially affect outcomes.

Africa has never seen a betting moment like this. In a historic breakthrough that has captured attention across the continent, SportPesa has delivered the largest jackpot payout in African history. Kenyan football fan Bonnie Kamau has won a staggering $3.4 million, after correctly predicting all 17 fixtures in the SportPesa Mega Jackpot. The win has instantly become a continental talking point not just for its size, but for what it represents: proof that Africa’s biggest football dreams can still come true.

On August 3, 2025, one ordinary football ticket rewrote Africa’s betting record books. Bonnie Kamau’s perfect 17-out-of-17 prediction ended a seven-year wait for a Mega Jackpot winner of this scale, sending shockwaves from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Accra, and Johannesburg. Within hours, the story dominated sports headlines, radio discussions, and social media timelines, firmly positioning SportPesa as the platform behind Africa’s most life-changing betting moment. More than a win, it marked a defining chapter in African sports history, one built on belief, football knowledge, and a platform trusted by millions.

Seventeen predictions. One perfect ticket. A record for Africa

On August 3, 2025, Bonnie Kamau achieved what millions of players across Africa have chased week after week. His ticket landed with 17 correct football outcomes, unlocking a payout that instantly became the biggest jackpot win in African betting history. The scale of the win sent shockwaves across Kenya and beyond. Sports desks, radio stations, digital publishers, and social media platforms lit up as fans rushed to understand how one ticket rewrote the record books. Searches around SportPesa Mega Jackpot history surged overnight as the continent tried to process the size of the moment.

For SportPesa, the message was clear. This wasn’t hype, it was proof.

‘I still can’t believe it’-The human moment behind the numbers

At an official unveiling in Nairobi, Bonnie Kamau struggled to put the moment into words. Standing in front of cameras, family members, and SportPesa officials, his reaction reflected what millions of fans felt watching from afar.

‘I still can’t believe I got all 17 games right,’ Bonnie said. ‘This win changes everything for my family. I’m grateful for the opportunity SportPesa gave me.’

His humility struck a chord across Africa. From Kenya to Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, Zambia, and South Africa, fans shared the story not just as a betting headline but as a reminder that ordinary football knowledge can still lead to extraordinary outcomes.

Why this win matters beyond one account balance

Bonnie Kamau’s $3.4 million jackpot is already creating ripple effects far beyond the betting slip. Like many jackpot winners, he has spoken about supporting family, investing wisely, and contributing to meaningful community projects. This is where the SportPesa Mega Jackpot story becomes bigger than sport. When played responsibly, these wins often translate into education, business growth, and long-term stability. That broader impact is why publishers across Africa continue to highlight life-changing jackpot wins on SportPesa as more than just numbers.

Why millions of Africans are drawn to the Mega Jackpot

The appeal of the Mega Jackpot lies in its simplicity and scale. Every week, the format remains clear and accessible-

Predict outcomes for 17 football matches

Place a stake that remains affordable

Win bonuses even if the ticket is not perfect

Compete alongside millions of African football fans

Bonnie’s victory has renewed interest across the continent, with more players visiting how the SportPesa Mega Jackpot works to understand the structure behind Africa’s biggest betting prize.

A platform built on trust, transparency, and real winners

What separates SportPesa from the noise of online betting is consistency. Every major jackpot win past and present has reinforced the same pillars-transparency, verified payouts, and a strong commitment to responsible gaming. Bonnie now joins an elite list of SportPesa Jackpot winners, a record that continues to attract players who value credibility as much as excitement. For many Africans, SportPesa has become synonymous with the biggest and most trusted jackpot opportunities on the continent.

Responsible play remains at the centre of the story

Even as headlines celebrate record-breaking payouts, SportPesa continues to emphasize one core principle: betting must remain entertainment, not income. Through clear guidelines, a responsible betting platform on SportPesa, players are encouraged to set limits, manage expectations, and enjoy the game without financial pressure. This balance between excitement and responsibility is a key reason regulators, partners, and fans continue to trust the brand.

A historic moment that belongs to all of Africa

Bonnie Kamau’s $3.4 million win is now part of African sporting folklore. It represents hope, patience, football knowledge, and the belief that big dreams can still come true. For SportPesa, it is a defining chapter proof that Africa’s biggest betting platform is not built on promises, but on real outcomes, real winners, and real impact. As millions across the continent prepare their next tickets, one question echoes louder than ever- Who will write the next headline in SportPesa Mega Jackpot history.SPG

The police in Wamala region are holding one suspect accused of placing unauthorised road sign inscriptions on some sections of the Kampala- Kiboga-Hoima highway in total contradiction of the known official procedures.

Wamala regional police spokesperson Lameck Kigozi said the unauthorised road sign inscriptions written in big letters, read: ‘Protest Vote.’ He said these reflect individual political opinions and affiliations, but also go against the mandate of any individual to do the work only authorised by the Ministry of Works and Transport.

In a statement last weekend,Mr Kigozi said the Kiboga District Police Commander, with the support of sister security agencies, conducted an intelligence- led operation in Kiyinja Village, Kyekumbya Sub-county, and in Lwamata Town Council in Kiboga District last Saturday which led to the arrest of the suspect believed to be behind the illegal inscriptions on the highway. ‘The search made in his two homes in Kiyinja Village and Lwamata Town Council led to recovery of some exhibits of evidential value.

The suspect admits to being part of a group that wrongfully inscribed a public road and efforts are being made to apprehend all the accomplices in this act,’ he said. Mr Kigozi said the arrested suspect and others still at large, believed to be agents of the Opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) party, riding on a numberless motorcycle placed the road sign inscriptions at sections of the Kampala- Kiboga-Hoima highway at around 9.20pm last Friday, before speeding off to yet unknown location.

‘Whereas it is the duty of the Ministry of Works and Transport to inscribe our roads for whichever reason based on the ministry’s statutory duties, it’s an act of sabotage for a layman to inscribe a public road with wordings reflecting personal or political affiliation or inciting the public,’ he said. ‘I hereby caution the public in the region to desist from such acts of sabotage driven by their respective political ambitions.

Anybody caught in such actions will be arrested and prosecuted,’ Mr Kigozi said. The clearly read wordings that attract attention of the road users placed at sections of the highway in Lwamata Town Council, Mr Kigozi said, raise suspicion about the intentions of the suspects and why they rode on a numberless motorcycle and quickly disappeared.

‘They possibly knew that they were acting outside the law. But the police are hunting for them,’ he said.

Mr Emmanuel Gizamba Masaba, a road safety expert, told this publication that road signs attract the attention of the road users and must be authorised by the relevant government departments.

By press time yesterday, the suspect was still in police custody and his accomplices still at large.

Kampala, 29 December 2025 – Online sports betting Uganda market welcomes a new contender, Secretbet, at year’s dawn. It’s an international African-focused sportsbook known for the fastest and most convenient payments, that operates in Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia and Ghana. And has plans of building a multi-million player base across the continent.

In the article, we’ll find out why adding another bookmaker to the several dozen already operating in the country is nothing but good. And what changes will Secretbet bring to the local bettors.

Reshaping the Ugandan iGaming Market

According to the latest numbers published by Monitor, Ugandans wagered UGX 2.4 trillion in the 2022/2023 fiscal year, and UGX 2.1 trillion just through the first half of 2023. No newer numbers are available, but even those published suggest that the market continues to almost double in size year by year.

In such circumstances, it’s tempting for the bookmakers to slack off on improving their offers for the bettors, as current ones are sufficient to keep growing.

With Secretbet entering the market, competition increases. And since new competitors have to make better offers in terms of odds and bonuses to start building their player base, everyone else on the market either has to match this or lose players. So all Ugandan punters win, no matter where they prefer to wager. Getting Spoilt For Choice

Secretbet provides a comprehensive event choice, with more than 10000 in different sports up for betting in the pre-match and live sections during busy days. Of course, English Premier League betting is fully covered with each event offering access to more than 1100 betting markets: three-way bets, both teams to score, handicap and more, as well as betting on particular players.

Other popular tournaments like the Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga, AFCON, UEFA Champions League and World Cup are also covered.

Aside from football, Secretbet takes bets on more or less popular sports like cricket (including Ugandan tournaments like the Maxx Challenge Cup), basketball, hockey, boxing and martial arts. New-generation sports, popular among the younger generation, such as virtual betting and eSports tournaments featuring CS: GO, Dota 2, and FIFA, are also available on Secretbet.

Secretbet strives to offer fair odds. At some events that were up for wagering during the creation of the article, such as Manchester United vs. Newcastle or Chelsea vs. Aston Villa, the Pinnacle margin calculator shows 1.54%-1.55%, which is below the low threshold of 2%.

Matching Local Habits

Matching the Ugandan smartphone betting culture, all betting can be done via Secretbet Android and iOS apps downloaded before registration on their website. Both are optimised to run on any devices and consume the smallest amount of traffic possible for odds updates.

The Ugandan habit of making small instant deposits is also covered at Secretbet by Airtel Money and MTN, with a minimum deposit of UGX 500 and the fastest deposits and withdrawals available in the country. There are also more than 30 crypto options, like Bitcoin, Binance coin, Solana and Ethereum. Players can create additional platform wallets not just in Ugandan shillings, but in dozens of fiat and crypto currencies.

Offering Popular Betting Formats

Secretbet offers some formats matching the Ugandan desire of placing small bets and chasing wins multiple times the stake.

The first is parlay betting, when multiple bets get bundled together into a single accumulator for enhanced odds. There is also a bonus offer that makes the odds even higher; more on that later.

Next is TOTO – an event outcome prediction game akin to accumulator betting in some ways, but simpler (one bet type), more rewarding (no need to correctly predict all outcomes to get a prize, a possibility to win a dozen times more than via standard bet due to jackpot) and dynamic (draws happen every day). In a football TOTO game, a player must correctly predict the outcomes of 15 matches chosen by the platform for each draw. The prediction is simple: home or away team win, or a draw.

If over a certain number of football events are predicted correctly, the player receives a payout – the more correct predictions, the bigger it will be. The one correctly predicting all results in the draw receives a jackpot, which is funded by the unclaimed prize tiers added after each draw.

And then come the Aviator-style games. They are designed to let even the tiniest stake grow multiple times if the circumstances play out right. And the plane takes off every 20-30 seconds, allowing dozens of attempts within an hour or so.

Providing Weekly Bonuses

As Secretbet is set to grow its Ugandan player base, it offers a set of bonuses for those willing to join. At the date of the article, the platform offers to 100% match the first deposit, as well as every first deposit over UGX 3,578 on Saturdays – up to UGX 357,759 for both (as of 29 December 2025). Thus, letting the bettor routinely double their bankroll.

Another bonus worth mentioning due to unique mechanics is the Advance bet. It allows the punter to wager with a certain percentage of funds already tied in unsettled bets. If those unsettled bets lose, then advance bets are cancelled with no extra funds loss.

There are more bonuses available (as of 29 December 2025), like a unique birthday bonus for each player, as well as a couple tied to accumulator bets – accumulator of the day with enhanced odds, and stake refund in case one of the accumulator legs loses, and the total number of selections in the parlay bet was 7 or more.

Keeping Account Secure

In addition to high odds, local payment channels, event selection and bonuses, Secretbet also offers customisable account security features like 2-factor authentication, but lets the player decide whether they wish to use it. In case of a problem, there is a multi-channel customer support via chat, email or website form.

Keeping all this in mind, Secretbet indeed looks like a competitor capable of carving a share of the Ugandan iGaming market. As there certainly will be punters willing to try it, even if just for the bonuses for a start.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) has unveiled its Strategic Development Plan for 2025/2026-2029/2030, along with the MAAIF Service Delivery Standards and the MAAIF Client Charter, aimed at transforming Uganda’s agriculture sector.

State Minister of Agriculture Fred Bwino Kyakulaga noted that the documents provide a comprehensive framework for agricultural transformation, aligning with the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV) and National Planning Authority Development Plan Regulations of 2018.

“These documents together provide a comprehensive framework for transforming Uganda’s agriculture, aligning with the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV) and the National Planning Authority Development Plan Regulations of 2018,” Kyakulaga said.

The Strategic Development Plan outlines six strategic objectives, supported by Programme Implementation Action Plans (PIAPs) and a robust monitoring-evaluation framework.

The plan focuses on improving productivity, strengthening animal and plant health systems, promoting value addition and market access, and enhancing climate resilience.

“The Strategic Development Plan is our roadmap for the next five years. It sets out clear objectives, interventions, and financing strategies to tackle structural challenges such as low productivity, post-harvest losses, limited market access, and weak institutional capacity,” Kyakulaga added.

Permanent Secretary Maj. Gen. David Kasura Kyomukama highlighted the sector’s performance, noting it employs over 65% of the labour force and contributes 26.1% to GDP in FY 2024/25. Agricultural growth improved from 6.1% in FY 2023/24 to 6.8% in FY 2024/25.

The Client Charter guarantees predictable services, building trust, while Service Delivery Standards ensure efficiency and accountability.

The plan’s budget for the next five years is approximately 17 trillion shillings, focusing on resource mobilization through partnerships and private sector engagement.

Undersecretary Mary Aacha Orikiriza emphasized implementing the documents to promote transparency and accountability.

“These documents are practical tools for promoting transparency, accountability, and mutual respect, placing the client at the center of our operations,” she said.

The Ministry aims to enhance production, competitiveness, and market access, with a focus on specialised extension services, science and technology integration, and strengthening farmer field schools and cooperatives.

Uganda’s Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, has accused Butambala County legislator Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi of neglecting his constituents, saying he has taken voters for granted by investing outside the constituency and opposing government initiatives.

Addressing a campaign rally at Kikambwe Village in Ngando, Butambala District on Monday, Among urged residents to consider Kivumbi’s record before voting in the January 15, 2026, general election that will decide the country’s next president and parliament.

‘A leader should lead by example. At the very least, they should have a home in their constituency. Area MP Kivumbi lives like an internally displaced person here. He sleeps at his mother’s house, and even that land belongs to UNRA; the government has already paid for it, and I want UNRA to come and claim it.,’ Among claimed.

She added: ‘Even if you are in opposition, you should be able to develop. At the very least, you should build something-say a hotel-so the people you represent have opportunities. Instead of developing his area, he has built a hotel and recreational centre in a wetland in Kampala.’

Among further decampaigned Kivumbi telling the rally that ‘You cannot have a leader who doesn’t think about you, opposes whatever the government says all the time, yet the decisions taken are for the good of the people of Uganda.’

Kivumbi’s chief campaigner, Baker Ssemikka, has dismissed the Speaker’s comments as false and politically motivated.

‘Whoever gave Among such false information wanted to expose her ignorance about the constituency. Kivumbi owns a house in the constituency, next to the family home,’ Ssemikka said.

‘He has procured a water bowser, an ambulance and tents – all benefiting the people. On investing outside Butambala, he is free to do so; even Among owns buildings in Kampala despite representing Bukedea women,’ he argued.

‘Take no gamble’

Among was speaking at a rally which featured President Museveni, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer seeking re-election to extend his rule to 45 years.

Museveni cautioned voters against inexperienced opposition politicians, whom he said obstruct government development programs.

‘Don’t take decisions by gambling which you will later regret. Vote the NRM to be sure because our track record on development is known and seen,’ he said, accompanied by First Lady and Education Minister Janet Museveni.

‘What we are talking about are not promises; we show that we have delivered over the years, and now we are adding on to our promises,’ he added.

Speaking a day later, Museveni also proposed the enactment of a ‘right to recall’ law, allowing citizens to remove non-performing leaders before their terms expire, citing absenteeism among opposition politicians in Mpigi District.

‘.We can discuss it. Instead of waiting for five years, we can use the law as citizens, and we recall him if he fails to deliver on what he is supposed to do even before the five years elapse,’ Museveni said.

During the 2021 election, National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, defeated Museveni in both Butambala and Mpigi, with opposition candidates taking all parliamentary and LCV positions.

In Butambala, Bobi Wine won 26,806 votes (73.27 percent) against Museveni’s 9,379 (25.63 percent), while in Mpigi, he garnered 60,815 votes (72.07 percent) versus Museveni’s 22,333 (26.47 percent).

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has used Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II visit to Karuma Wildlife Reserve to renew calls to Ugandans to embrace domestic tourism beyond festive seasons.

Kabaka Mutebi visited the reserve on Monday.

UWA noted that Karuma Wildlife Reserve is an integral part of the wider Murchison Falls Conservation Area, a vast, interconnected ecosystem that also includes Murchison Falls National Park and Bugungu Wildlife Reserve.

The landscape is managed as one conservation unit by UWA, allowing wildlife to move freely across the protected areas.

In a statement released on Monday, UWA said the Kabaka’s visit underscored the safety, service standards, and conservation progress within the Murchison Falls Conservation Area, while highlighting national parks and reserves as ideal spaces for relaxation, reflection, and recreation throughout the year.

‘It tells Ugandans that these places are accessible and worth visiting,’ UWA stated.

UWA urged Ugandans to make domestic travel a regular habit that supports conservation and preserves the country’s natural heritage for future generations.

In an interview yesterday, the UWA Executive Director, Dr James Musinguzi (PhD), said the visit sends a strong message of confidence to both local and international visitors.

‘It is a stamp of approval in terms of the services offered in the protected area, but also the security,’ Dr Musinguzi said. ‘That confidence encourages more people to visit, enjoy themselves, and contribute to the country’s growth through tourism revenue.’

Dr Musinguzi said the broader conservation area offers more than the famous waterfall, citing healthy wildlife populations, including giraffes, lions, elephants and buffaloes, as well as river cruises on the Nile, game drives and a growing range of visitor experiences.

‘We are diversifying tourism products. We do not want to be only about animals,’ he said, noting improvements in accommodation, food services, and customer care aimed at encouraging visitors to stay longer and return more often.

Buganda Kingdom described the Kabaka’s visit to the reserve as a timely reminder for Ugandans to take an interest in local tourism.

‘Some people have never seen a lion or a leopard face-to-face, yet we have many of them here. People come from outside the country to see what we overlook at home,’ Mr Israel Kazibwe Kitooke, the kingdom’s minister for information and mobilisation, said.

He added: ‘When we see the Kabaka visiting places like Karuma and the wider Murchison area, it reminds us that rest and nature are important.’

Jinja City Council has announced plans to enact by-laws aimed at punishing public littering in an effort to improve sanitation, protect road infrastructure, and reduce frequent flooding in the city.

The proposed laws will target individuals who dispose of rubbish irresponsibly, including those who litter streets with plastic bottles, polythene bags (kaveera) and other waste onto the streets of Jinja.

City authorities said the absence of clear and enforceable anti-littering laws has contributed significantly to poor waste management, especially along major roads, taxi parks and the entire city areas.

The proposed laws are intended to promote responsible waste disposal, hold offenders accountable, and encourage residents and visitors to keep Jinja City clean.

Ms Isabella Ndahra, the Jinja deputy city clerk, told Daily Monitor last week the council is yet to determine how much and who gets the kind of charge (fine) once caught littering the environment.

She explained that the drainage constructed under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) programme usually get clogged and or blocked due to careless dumping of solid waste.

‘As a result, several road sections experience flooding whenever it rains, causing inconvenience to road users, damage to infrastructure, and increased health risks to residents,’ she said.

The situation is worsened in areas where drainage covers have been broken or removed. As a result, some shopkeepers and roadside food vendors reportedly misuse the open drains by turning them into rubbish pits.

Ms Ndahura explained that the by-laws are going to be sustainable by use of scouts, who will be on the streets, as well as the public who will cause the arrest of anybody seen throwing rubbish openly in a public place.

City leaders have said this behaviour not only pollutes the environment but also undermines investments made in urban development.

Ms Prossy Nakitto, the principal health officer of Jinja City, said before the new laws are enacted and enforced, the city council has introduced a compulsory citywide cleaning exercise. It targets all residents and people working in Jinja.

The exercise will be conducted on the last week of every month, starting from 6am to about 9am.

Meanwhile, Ms Victoria Kakaire, the principal environment officer of Jinja City, noted that some residents are still living in condemned buildings that lack basic sanitation facilities such as toilets.

She said this situation has contributed to cases of open defecation in some corridors of Jinja City streets.

In some parts of the city, several shops are operating without dustbins for proper garbage disposal, while a number of buildings have become sites of frequent sewage spillages.

As a result, strong and unpleasant odours of urine and human waste have become a constant presence in corridors and narrow passages between buildings, raising serious concerns about public health and sanitation.

Ms Kakaire said the city council plans to carry out inspections of buildings, particularly in the urban centres, to establish whether they have functional toilet facilities.

The Jinja City principal environment officer emphasised that property owners who fail to meet the required sanitation standards will be held accountable.

‘It has come to our notice that there is open defecation in some sections of the city corridors. People are disposing of human waste in polythene bags, which indicates that some buildings do not have functional toilets. The council will, therefore, conduct inspections to address this problem,’ Ms Kakaire said.

Mr Vin Lawrence Semaganda, the chairperson of Alinda Road Village, said Jinja City Council should take responsibility of unblocking the drainage systems and replacing the damaged manhole covers. He added that some drainage and manhole covers appear to be substandard, prompting public questions about their source and procurement.

We are on the last stretch to the January 15, 2026, election. In a few days, all the news will be about opposition running battles with the police and army, tear gas, cracked skulls, bullets, several killed and injured, arrests, and the vote count nightmare.

So before the window closes, let us slip in the boring bit about development and making Uganda rich, a follow-up to last week’s “Economic federo now for Uganda. Now!”, about economic decentralisation. From the economic district or province, we must take our quest for prosperity down to the city.

A citification fever has gripped Uganda. We have changed the letterheads and repainted town halls. But for the average resident of Lira or Kabale, the change has been cosmetic. We have created glorified towns that still look to Kampala to fix a pothole.

If we are to avoid creating a string of expensive, dysfunctional urban sprawls, Uganda must pivot to a charter city model.

Typical Ugandan cities, like Gulu or Mbale today, are just basically “Municipality 2.0”. It follows the same national laws, uses the same centralised tax structures, and waits for the same budget disbursements from the Treasury. It drains the budget, rather than building wealth.

What’s this charter city? Picture Arua or Jinja not as mere towns, but as semi-autonomous zones with their own charters, a unique set of rules tailored to their specific strengths. They would have the power to set their own business licensing fees, create fast-track building codes, and manage civil service incentives without waiting for a ministry signature in Kampala.

Some direct ways for how they could finally create wealth. Massive social changes occur the moment a town finally becomes a city. On a visit to Equator Seeds in Gulu, a manager told me something mind-bending: the moment Gulu was named a city, residents began eating more rice. Why? Because if you live in a city, you feel pressure to eat like a city person. You partly move away from traditional tubers and roots that take hours to prepare and towards rice, the ultimate urban fast food.

This identity consumption can be exploited for massive economic gain. If the city government recognises the shift, it can build a rice value chain, offering incentives for millers and packaging plants to process rice within the city limits, ensuring the urban shift fuels local jobs rather than imports.

Then came what I call the Great Chicken Epiphany. On a visit to Ugachick in Magigye, they told me they discovered that one of the most significant predictors of frozen chicken consumption is the construction of apartments. In a traditional town, dinner can be a blood sport. To eat chicken, you must purchase a live bird, chase it around the garden, endure the feathery chaos, and perform the “assassination” behind the kitchen. Then pluck feathers, and cut it up. It can take even 90 minutes.

Put that person into a third-floor apartment, and the ritual collapses. There is no garden, and chasing a chicken through a tiled corridor is socially frowned upon and perilous. The apartment dweller happily pays for the convenience of the freezer and buys frozen chicken.

Constructing high-density apartments creates a new consumer class that demands steady electricity, freezers, and processed foods.

To spark these machines of consumption, Uganda needs a partnership of players who share in the risks and rewards. The private investor provides seed capital; the central government adds a matching grant worth just over a quarter of the total; the city government contributes land and the authority to fast-track permits, while the local economic district supplies labour and the social licence to operate.

Profits are split to ensure that the entire system stays balanced. The investor takes the lion’s share, 60 per cent, as yields on capital. The local economic district receives 15 per cent, which it channels into a trust to fund small businesses and vocational training. The city government also takes 15 per cent, ploughing it back into services such as waste collection and street lighting. The central government in Kampala gets 10 per cent, which it places in a sinking fund to repay its initial grant, turning the contribution into a self-replenishing investment.

For a city like Arua, the charter should focus on its role as a regional logistics gateway. Instead of being merely a transit point for trucks heading to the DRC or South Sudan, Arua should have the power to draft a free trade charter. This would allow for the duty-free assembly of goods-such as electronics, farm tools, and solar kits-within the city limits. By the time a product hits the DRC border, it is “Made in Arua, Uganda”, creating thousands of value-added jobs.

The chicken is in the freezer. It is time we built the apartments and infrastructure to keep it there.

The mushrooming of unopposed candidates in parliamentary races, moreover, under a cloud of mystery, deserves to be called into the disapproving presence of Ugandans. There are fears that the system that has been willed into existence is one designed for the powerful to retain control. Those fears, lamentably, are not misplaced. While the reasons to hold the semblance of participatory democracy in Uganda as a badge of honour are very varied, it would be remiss not to acknowledge that many of those who seek election manipulate, distract and lie. The alleged dark arts, once spoken about in a hushed tone, are now dominating the language of political discourse before Ugandans head to the polls in a few weeks.

Consequently, conversations that have come to the conclusion that elected representation is not all it’s cracked up to be have gained in their amplitude. We state the obvious by holding that a lack of competition at the ballot box comes with nothing but destructive properties. For one, the complacency that it breeds makes the prospect of having an autocratic government more likely. This comes just when it was thought that doorstep campaigning-that has dominated the current electoral cycle-would have the effect of keeping politicians in touch with their constituents. Most importantly, with the 12th Parliament of Uganda set to be tasked with an oversight role when Uganda’s oil taps are duly opened, the country can ill afford a move away from the classic and formulaic separation-of-powers articulation.

The House has in recent times found itself, largely through its own making, closely related to the Executive. This has made oversight of the exercise of state power that much more difficult. And with grave consequences. Going forward, a reset button will have to be pressed to check Executive authority that could, if left to its own devices, abuse proceeds from oil resources. This is why we believe that it is vitally important for constituents to not only engage with politicians seeking to represent them but also a vast array of choices on the ballot. The mixture of contempt and fear, real or imagined, that has greeted politicians making it to the House without breaking a sweat should be treated in a careful, even cautious, manner. Such an outcome obviously puts the credibility of any electoral process under threat.

As an empirical study by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance shows, the participation score craters. And it will still do so if elections continue to come with ritualistic aspects. For the taxpayer, skewing the electoral playing field and compromising the integrity of electoral institutions strikes where it hurts most. The cost of organising general elections in Uganda has progressively increased, only to be met with voter apathy. Voter turnout is often quite low, with a growing number of Ugandans convinced that elections are simply organised to legitimise the rule of incumbents. The country is clearly stuck in a rut and is losing its direction. Wholesale changes to arrest the rot are doubtlessly needed. The Electoral Commission has its work cut out when it comes to making electoral processes it oversees scale over the transparency hurdle. The panacea for all its ills is to make it independent, among other electoral reforms.