Category: Daily Monitor

Uganda is edging closer to a major agricultural breakthrough as scientists finalise testing of new homegrown aromatic rice varieties designed to replace imported Basmati and Supa rice. The move is expected to boost farmer incomes, strengthen food security and reduce the country’s rice import bill. The new varieties, developed by the National Agricultural Research Organisation (Naro) with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), are currently undergoing advanced performance and quality testing ahead of official release by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (Maaif) and the National Variety Release Committee.

Mr Jimmy Lamo, a rice breeder and Cereals Programme Leader at Naro, says driven by soaring consumer demand for aromatic rice, the initiative seeks to provide Ugandan farmers with high-yielding, disease-resistant alternatives that match imported rice in aroma, grain quality and cooking characteristics. ‘These aromatic varieties dominate the market, but the ones currently grown in Uganda are highly susceptible to diseases and give low yields, now we have developed improved lines using resistant parent seeds, and they are under advanced testing across six locations, including the Doho Irrigation Scheme here in Butaleja,’ he says

Dr Lamo says farmers, millers and other value-chain actors are actively participating in cooking and milling evaluations to ensure the new varieties meet market preferences before approval.

‘We want varieties that farmers can grow profitably and that consumers will prefer. That is why value-chain actors are involved in the final assessments,’ he says

He adds that the ECO-PRiDe project, now in its second year of implementation, is a five-year initiative funded by JICA and implemented by Naro in collaboration with national and local partners. The project aligns with Naro’s Strategic Plan 2025-2030, particularly the goal of building climate-resilient and market-oriented agricultural systems. Dr. Titus Alicai, Director of Research at the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) and National Project Coordinator for ECO-PRiDe, says the project goes beyond varietal development to address environmental sustainability.

Zero harm

‘We want to increase rice production without harming the environment, while improving incomes for rural farmers .This includes producing high-quality seed, strengthening farmer knowledge on sustainable cultivation practices and improving efficiency along the entire rice value chain,’ he adds He explains that the project is developing an evidence-based blueprint for increasing productivity while reducing the environmental footprint associated with rice farming, particularly water use and chemical inputs.

‘Providing the international perspective,Japan’s long history in rice production is informing Uganda’s transformation journey.We are leveraging Japan’s more than 2,000 years of experience in rice production to enhance both productivity and sustainability in Uganda,’ he says He adds that more importantly, they are ensuring last-mile delivery by bringing quality seed, disease control knowledge and sustainable cultural practices directly to farmers. He also reveals that the project is supporting young Ugandan researchers to pursue advanced studies at Japanese universities, strengthening long-term research capacity.

Mr. Nasser Kasozi, Director of Research at BugiZARDI, said farmers at the Doho Rice Scheme are already embracing improved technologies introduced through the project. ‘Many farmers here have adopted improved agronomic practices, and we are seeing better productivity,’ Mr. Kasozi says. He adds that the project is piloting rice-fish integration technologies, where nutrient-rich fish pond water is used to enhance rice growth, providing both food and income diversification for rural households.

‘We are also developing a cropping calendar to improve water-use efficiency and stabilize yields,’ he noted. During a field inspection at the Doho Irrigation Scheme, members of the Joint Technical Committee observed promising performance of the new aromatic rice lines alongside farmer-centered innovations.

With the release of the new varieties imminent, stakeholders believe Uganda is steadily positioning itself toward a more competitive, productive and sustainable rice sectorone capable of reducing reliance on imports while meeting growing domestic demand.

Plus

With the release of the new varieties imminent, stakeholders believe Uganda is steadily positioning itself toward a more competitive, productive and sustainable rice sectorone capable of reducing reliance on imports while meeting growing domestic demand.

As Uganda gears up for the January 2026 General Election in which President Museveni plans to extend his rule to 45 years, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) have warned opposition politicians against rallying voters to linger at polling stations after casting their ballots.

Over time, National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, has been calling upon his supporters to hang around polling centres to observe whatever happens there.

To him, the strategy, codenamed ‘Protest Vote’, is meant to, among others, guard against vote rigging, which he and other opposition leaders claim has featured prominently in past elections.

At a recent campaign rally, President Museveni, 81, also said Mr Kyagulanyi’s party had stolen over two million votes in the 2021 General Election in which he was declared the winner.

ICYMI: Polls leave Catholic Church close to the ‘forbidden fruit

2026 polls: Kabaka stands against Opposition brutality

The UPDF commanded by Mr Museveni’s son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and the Electoral Commission (EC), chaired by Justice Simon Byabakama, have in the recent past asked Ugandans to leave polling stations immediately after casting their ballots on January 15, 2026.

To the opposition politicians, the UPDF and EC call is suspicious, given that no law bans voters from observing what’s happening at polling stations from a distance.

By law, voters are allowed to stay at least 20 metres away from the polling station after casting their ballots.

Mr Kyagulanyi’s call has in the recent past been reinforced by several political commentators and a section of religious leaders who have questioned the intentions of the Electoral Commission and the army.

‘Security has noted with concern the continuous rhetoric by the NUP Presidential candidate calling upon his supporters to mob polling centres on Election Day, and thereafter march to the capital Kampala. He also encourages his supporters to be prepared to confront the security forces because, in his view, the police and UPDF would be outnumbered on the ground. This type of polarising language is very unfortunate indeed. It is ill-advised, toxic, shallow in logic, and dangerous. The security forces strongly condemn the spirit and message behind the call, and we contend that this must stop henceforth,’ said acting director of Defence public information MODV/UPDF, Col Chris Magezi.

According to him, those who incite violence and promote anarchy in the country by misleading the youth to violently confront the security forces will not themselves escape the outcome.

‘The net effect will be a futile and zero-sum game with no winners, and contemporary examples abound in the world around us and beyond. Further, and recalling our long history of instability, it is inconceivable that an aspiring national leader would seek to undermine the credibility of the country’s security forces, the foundation upon which everything else thrives,’ Col Magezi said.

Col Magezi further warned that the country’s armed forces, and the UPDF in particular, are highly capable, organised, proficient and lethal.

According to him, there is no threat the army, charged with protecting Uganda’s borders, cannot deal with, ‘and it will be very bad news for those who do not heed the warnings.’

‘If the NUP leader is in doubt about the capabilities of our armed forces, he should consult the al-Shabaab in Somalia, the ADF and CODECO in DRC, or Joseph Kony and his defunct LRA in CAR, as well as other violent and negative groups in the region. Therefore, the modern-day Alice Lakwena’s, or the Kirumira Mutimas of the Ruwenzori region, recently (who similarly confuse young people into reckless misadventures) have no place in Uganda’s progress and transformational journey,’ Col Magezi said.

Ever since Mr Kyagulanyi declared his intention to challenge Mr Museveni’s presidency in 2020, he and his supporters have been subjected to brutality, arrests and enforced disappearances.

Many of his supporters who were arrested before, during and and after the 2021 General Election are still languishing in prison, where some of them were remanded by the General Court Martial.

The NUP leadership says over 500 of their supporters have been arrested ever since Mr Kyaguanyi declared his intention to challenge Mr Museveni again.

Ever since political campaigns were officially opened in September this year, many opposition candidates have had their nominations revoked by the Electoral Commission on various allegations or denounced opposition in favour of the ruling party, National Resistance Movement (NRM). Most of the affected candidates are from NUP.

There are many ways Uganda Cranes coach Paul Put could have objectively summarized his team’s display in the 3-1 loss to Tunisia at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday.

The Belgian was not happy that his side showed their group C opponents ‘too much respect’ in the defeat that left his team with a lot of work to do. A brace from Elias Achouri added to Ellyes Skhiri’s opener to seal the result for the 2004 African champions who earned their sixth victory over Uganda in as many games. Forward substitute Denis Omedi came off the bench to bag a consolation goal Uganda hardly merited in a disjointed display. This was Uganda’s only shot on target

Not in game mode

‘We were not in the game,’ Put stated at the post-match press conference here at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, Morocco. ‘We showed too much respect. We know we played a very good team.’ Tunisia lost twice during the qualifiers, at home to The Gambia and Comoros, but were in no mood for gifts. In rainy conditions that made it hard to play, they took every gift Uganda gave them. The first goal came from a dead ball situation. No one tracked Skhiri as he headed home under no pressure at all in the 10th minute. They got the early goal which Put and Uganda dreaded. ‘We know they were very strong on the set pieces, but if you see what we have been doing after 10-12 minutes, that you take control on this issue, that you are in front, so that’s a bad sign,’ Put elaborated.

Falling behind

Clearly, he was frustrated that his charges did not react to falling behind. ‘Also, we were not aggressive enough. ‘If you play the Africa Cup, you know that you have to be there in the duels and that you have to win the duels, second balls, but today it was not. ‘I think we only had 20-25 minutes in the game, but without being dangerous, so that’s not enough for playing in the Africa Cup of Nations.’ The next questions for Put will surround his selection.

Losing defender Elio Capradossi on the eve of the game hit hard as Rogers Torach was asked to step up to partner Jordan Obita at the center. Having Melyvn Lorenzen start as the number 10 ahead of Allan Okelo was a curious decision too. The half chances Steven Mukwala and Rogers Mato fashioned and wasted left a bitter taste. With Nigeria beating Tanzania 2-1 in the other group C clash, Put and Uganda have it all to do to survive an early exit. They face Tanzania on Saturday in Rabat.

NUMBERS DON’T LIE

3 – Goals conceded by Uganda

1 – Uganda shot on target

6 – Consecutive Tunisia wins

10 – Minute of Tunisia’s first goal

25 – Minutes Uganda were

competitive, per Put

2 – Tunisia qualifier defeats before Afcon

Police have denied report that security officers shot at the campaign vehicle of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate, Nathan Nandala Mafabi, in Amudat District on Friday evening.

Mr Mafabi reported a case of attempted murder at Amudat Central Police Station following a fracas between his supporters and security personnel at Kalita, alleging that police fired at his car, shattering the right windscreen.

The incident occurred when security personnel, including police and Anti-Stock Theft Unit officers, blocked Mafabi from addressing a campaign rally at Kalita Livestock Market, a restricted area under Electoral Commission guidelines. Some of his supporters reacted angrily, throwing stones at the security team. Officers fired warning shots in response.

Mike Longole, Mount Moroto Regional Police Spokesperson, said both a police truck and Mafabi’s vehicle were damaged during the confrontation. Investigations confirmed that the damage to Mafabi’s car was caused by a stone, not a bullet. ‘When we examined the vehicle, we found a stone inside, which confirmed it was not a bullet,’ Longole said.

He added that Mafabi later acknowledged that the damage was caused by stones thrown by residents, not security forces. ‘The candidate went to campaign in a market, which is not allowed under Electoral Commission guidelines, and that is when the confrontation started. Some members of the crowd started throwing stones at our vehicles, and one of those stones ended up hitting the candidate’s car,’ Longole told Uganda Radio Network.

The matter was resolved amicably, no case was registered, and Mafabi has continued campaigning in other areas. However, our reporter couldn’t independently verify Longole’s claims as Nandala’s team couldn’t be reached by the time of publishing this story. Police urged the public and media to verify information before reporting incidents related to ongoing campaigns. This is not the first time politicians and security agencies have clashed over whether damage was caused by a bullet or a stone.

In 2017, a post-mortem report revealed that Edison Nasasira, who died during a standoff between Uganda Police and opposition politician Dr. Kizza Besigye in Rukungiri, was shot with a bullet. Police, led by then Kigezi Regional Commander Denis Namuwoza, had initially claimed the deceased was hit by a stone, citing the size of the wound.

Kigezi Regional Police spokesperson Elly Matte also noted that the single wound made it unlikely that a bullet caused the death. A year later, in 2018, National Unity Platform presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu’s driver, Yasin Kawuma, was killed in violence during which NUP supporters were accused of throwing stones at President Museveni’s motorcade.

By the time the Catholic Bishop of Masaka, Serverus Jjumba, authored a one-page communication that forced Ugandan security forces to concede that they had arbitrarily detained Catholic clergy Deusdedit Ssekabira, the army had detained him for 10 days without admission.

According to people who witnessed the abduction of Fr Ssekabira, a curate of Bamangi Parish in Masaka, this operation followed a similar template that the Special Forces Command (SFC) have since 2019 used to abduct Opposition ‘foot soldiers’ who belong to the National Unity Platform (NUP).

Indeed, Bishop Jjumba said Fr Ssekabira had been kidnapped by army men who were in a Toyota Hiace, alias Drone, which has earned notoriety for being a symbol of torture and State-orchestrated disappearances.

The abduction of Ssekabira, which comes at the height of electioneering ahead of the 2026 polls, coupled with the army’s official explanation that he was picked off the streets because he was engaged in what they term as subversive activities, has once again brought into sharp focus the fading relationship between the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) government and the Catholic Church.

Throughout his nearly 40-year hold on power, Museveni, an Anglican, has repeatedly warned against the mixing of politics and religion. During the celebration of Uganda Martyrs Day, mid this year, Museveni once again made it clear that religious leaders should restrict themselves to spiritual matters.

‘Politics is about welfare on earth, and religion is about spirituality here on earth and life after in heaven, which aspects the religious leaders can speak better about,’ Museveni said.

Double standards?

Yet Museveni seems to have no problem when religious leaders have campaigned for him, with Sheikh Shaban Mubajje, a leader of a faction of Muslims that is recognised by the State, being his leading campaigner.

‘All the development you see that benefits Muslims from mosques, schools, hospitals, and the general respect and recognition has been possible because of President Museveni’s support,’ Mubajje said in October during a Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) Executive Committee meeting.

Mubajje, whose tenure has been riddled with scandals, added: ‘If the NRM says its goal is to protect the gains, then know that Muslim progress is among those gains.’

For the Church of Uganda, retired Anglican Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi endorsed Museveni when the 80-year-old President was traversing West Nile hunting for votes. ‘We have recorded peace in this country, we have recorded growth and several other developments in this country; and yet Uganda is still a needy country,’ retired Bishop Orombi said, adding that thanks to Museveni, Ugandans can enjoy sleep in their houses.

‘On behalf of the people of Nebbi, I ask God to continue to lead you through the nation as you speak to the people, giving you health, strength and enabling you to accomplish your mission,’ Orombi, who reigned as the archbishop of the Church of Uganda between 2004 and 2007, said.

Yet there is no agreed position in the Anglican Church, with Rev Can Augustine Magala Musiwuufu, the retired dean of Namirembe Cathedral, pointing out earlier this year during a sermon that Anglican leaders need to speak out against injustices committed by the regime instead of focusing on handouts like four-wheel vehicles they get from government.

‘Speak about what is happening in the country, whether good or evil. These pictures we see on social media paint a different picture of this country,’ Musiwuufu said.

Frosty relations

If Orombi presented the rosy picture about Uganda under Museveni’s leadership, the Catholic Church doesn’t share the same. Relations with the NRM regime appear not to have thawed ever since the Catholic Church was accused of backing Robert Kyagulanyi’s presidential bid in 2021.

In fact, NRM cadres have attributed the party’s blood bath in Buganda to the backing the Catholic Church gave to Kyagulanyi, a Catholic, and his party. For instance, when Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempiija lost his Kalungu East slot to NUP’s Francis Katabaazi Katongole, he blamed the Catholic Church for his failure.

‘On voting day, a priest who led the queue for voters turned around after ticking and demonstrated how to tick to the rest of the voters among the 10 presidential candidates,’ Ssempijja explained his loss.

‘The priest, after getting his ballot paper, faced the voters, raised his hands and made a sign of the cross. How could I win? The priest influenced people on who to vote for.’ Ssempijja wasn’t the only NRM member who blamed the Catholic Church or the Buganda Kingdom for losses suffered.

‘In Buganda, it’s clear that the Mengo and the Catholic Church were involved. They were telling people to vote for the red coffee that had matured. What does that mean? We are now going into the politics of tribalism, sectarianism, and religion. The Catholic Church has come out to decampaign the government,’ Esther Mbayo, then minister for Presidency, said.

Additionally, Haruna Kasolo, the Minister of State in-charge of Microfinance, blamed his loss in Kyotera County on John Paul Lukwago Mpalanyi, then a member of the Democratic Party (DP), but who has since decamped to NUP, on the Catholic Church.

Those who are familiar with Kyotera politics say Mpalanyi was able to end Kasolo’s two-term reign in Kyotera, thanks to the backing of the Catholic Church, with top clergy and lay readers in the area openly backing what they termed as ‘one of their own.’

Bishop Kiwanuka dossier

Kyagulanyi’s push for the presidency, in a country whose leadership has been dominated by Anglicans, presents the Catholic Church with a conundrum that they faced in the colonial times. This was when one of their own, Benedicto Kagimu Kiwanuka, a member of DP, emerged as one of the prospective leaders of post-colonial Uganda.

Particularly, Bishop Joseph Kiwanuka, one of the mentors of Benedicto, was caught between a rock and a hard place. In their book titled Contesting Catholics: Benedicto Kiwanuka and the Birth of Postcolonial Uganda, Jonathon Earle and James Jay Carney, through Benedicto, tried to depict DP as by no means a Catholic Party by widening the net to incorporate Muslims and Anglicans, albeit with limited success; the Catholic clergy always found themselves in a tricky position.

With so many Catholics joining DP’s sworn enemies Kabaka Yekka and frequent political violence committed against DP Catholics, Earle and Carney say Bishop Kiwanuka, who had been appointed by the Vatican as the archbishop of Kampala, was forced to issue a pastoral letter to fellow Catholics titled ‘Church and State: Guiding Principles.’

Issued on November 23, 1961, Earle and Carney explain that Bishop Kiwanuka’s dossier turned out to be the most controversial Catholic pastoral letter in modern Uganda. The duo explain that Bishop Kiwanuka began the circular by lamenting the wounded Catholic neighbours who had approached him.

‘For the archbishop, their injuries had stemmed from their opponents’ convictions that ‘you are a traitor to the Kabaka to your country’,’ Earle and Carney explain, adding that Archbishop Kiwanuka noted that not all Catholics were, but only those who supported DP.

‘Even Archbishop Kiwanuka himself had been verbally accosted, accused with other bishops of being ‘the people who don’t want Buganda to receive what belongs to her’ and of underwriting DP movement. ‘What are you, bishops, looking for here? You don’t like the Kabaka! Wait until tomorrow and go to welcome Benedicto.’

Ssemogerere broadside

Currently, with the State-sponsored abductions not leaving out the clergy, the Catholic Church, just like in colonial times, finds itself in a position where it has to make its voice heard.

‘Who doesn’t know the reason why the people who are currently ruling us went to the bush? The sad thing is that rigging of votes has become endemic. Even the President has been mourning over this practice. He claims the Opposition rigs votes, more so in Buganda. The President isn’t a lone ranger in decrying rigging elections, even the Opposition is crying over the same thing,’ explained Archbishop of Kampala Paul Ssemogerere.

The Catholic prelate also cited a song that he said he no longer listens to, but the artist was telling Museveni that conditions that compelled him to go to the Luweero jungles to wage guerrilla war have resurfaced.

‘Those who are responsible need to hear the voice of the people because the voice of the people is the voice of God. We need to get real peace by welcoming Jesus Christ in our hearts,’ Archbishop Ssemogerere said.

He cited the New Testament in John 14:27, in which Jesus Christ said the peace he gives, the world cannot give.

‘Many times, those who are escorted by heavy security don’t have real peace in their hearts. They are even scared of their own shadows, and that is why they always use a lot of force to eliminate those who threaten their hold on power. We can only get real peace if we receive Christ in our hearts,’ he said.

Archbishop Ssemogerere’s predecessor, Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, who died in 2021, once warned the State against abductions, saying that those who are now in power claimed they were the preserve of the Idi Amin regime.

‘I remember when the NRM came to power, the President said they came to resist the politics of the Idi Amin and Milton Obote regimes. If this is still the National Resistance Movement, I call upon your government to continue resisting the evil abductions, torture and killings of people,’ Lwanga said.

Yet in his communication announcing the abduction of Fr Ssekabira, Bishop Jjumba pointed out that the abduction reminds the Catholic faithful of the way Catholic clergy Clement Mukasa was disappeared during Amin’s era, never to be seen again.

‘I’m doing this communication in our Lady of Sorrows, Kitovu Cathedral, where on 12 July 1976, Msgr Clement Mukasa was kidnapped and has never been seen again,’ Bishop Jjumba said.

On March, 4, the Civil Division of the High Court in Kampala delivered a judgment in a case in which a one Irene sued a health service provider, Marie Stopes, and one of their nurses, accusing them of medical negligence. The case was based on events that occurred on September 22, 2017, when Irene reportedly sought family planning services from Marie Stopes but claimed the nurse who attended to her negligently inserted an Intra-Uterine Device (IUD) into her and this caused her to suffer injury and pain.

Court defined negligence as failure to exercise the standard of care that a reasonably prudent person would have exercised in a similar situation. It is doing what a reasonable and prudent person would not do under the particular circumstances or the failure to do what such a person would do under the circumstances. According to court, negligence may also mean any conduct that falls below the legal standard established to protect others against unreasonable harm.

Court looked at the circumstances of negligence in respect to skilled workers and noted that if a person holds himself as possessing a special skill and knowledge and he is consulted as possessing such skill and knowledge by a patient, he owes the duty to the patient to use due caution in undertaking treatment.

If he accepts the responsibility and undertakes treatment and the patient submits to his direction and treatment, accordingly he owes the duty to the patient and to use diligence, care, knowledge and caution in administering the treatment. A doctor can be held guilty of medical negligence when he falls short of the standard of reasonable medical care and not because, in a matter of opinion, he made an error of judgment. For negligence to arise, there must have been a breach of duty and the breach of duty must have been the direct or proximate cause of the loss, injury or damage. By proximate is meant a cause which is a natural and continuous chain, unbroken by any intervening event, produces injury and without which injury would not have occurred.

In the case of negligence, it must be shown that the breach of duty is equal to the level of a reasonable and competent health worker. The onus is on a complainant to prove that there was a usual and normal practice, which the health care provider did not follow and that the health care provider, instead, adopted a practice that no professional or ordinarily skilled would have taken. This is the proof of deviation that courts need in a case of medical negligence. Court noted that in this particular case when Irene went to a health facility that belonged to Marie Stopes for the insertion of an IUD, the IUD was wrongly inserted by the nurse who attended to her.

That the IUD was wrongly inserted was confirmed by various medical reports that were tendered in court which showed that the IUD was not where it was supposed to be. To court, this confirmed the nurse deviated from the normal practice in that instead of inserting the IUD in the uterus, which was the right place, she inserted it in the abdomen when she perforated Irene’s uterus. Court, therefore, ruled that the nurse was negligent in her work as a medical personnel.

Court also addressed the issue of whether Irene suffered as a result of the negligence of the nurse. Evidence on record showed that Irene suffered a lot of pain during the insertion of the IUD.

The client, in her evidence, informed court that she requested the nurse to discontinue the procedure but the nurse disregarded her request, advising that it was normal for such pain and bleeding to occur during the insertion of the IUD and that the pain and bleeding would subside shortly. This, unfortunately, did not happen. Irene had to later on, due to severe pain, look for medical care from a number of hospitals, including a hospital in Germany. Medical reports from all these hospitals were tendered in court as exhibits. Court, therefore, ruled that Irene, indeed, suffered as a result of the negligence of the nurse but ruled that Marie Stopes was vicariously liable for the actions of the nurse, who was lawfully on duty, being duly employed by the organisation.

Irene prayed for special damages for expenses incurred during medical treatment and general damages for pain and inconvenience, trauma, mental anguish, shock and suffering. The object of the award of damages is to give the complainant compensation for the damage, loss or injury she suffered. General damages are awarded to compensate an aggrieved fairly for the inconvenience accrued as a result of the suffering caused to her. It is the duty of the complainant to ask for and prove that there were damages, losses or injuries suffered as a result of the actions or omissions of the accused person. Irene pleaded and gave evidence that she suffered pain, mental anguish and inconvenience right from the time the IUD was inserted into her body.

She asked court to award her general damages of Shs1 billion. Court, however, found the sum on the higher side and awarded her Shs10 million. Special damages must be specifically asked for and strictly proved but that strictly proving such damages does not mean that proof must always be documentary evidence.

Special damages can also be proved by direct evidence, for example by evidence of a person who received or paid such monies or testimonies of experts conversant with the matter. Irene presented copies of receipts of the expenses she incurred due to the said negligence.

These included hospital bills, air tickets and accommodation. These expenses totalled to over Shs13 million and over pound 7,000 (Shs29m). Court awarded her these costs as special damages. Court also ruled that it found no reason to deny Irene costs in this case. The law provides that the award of costs is at the discretion of court and costs shall follow the event unless for good reasons, court directs otherwise. The phrase ‘costs follow the event’ means an award of costs will generally flow with the result of litigation, the successful party being entitled to an order for costs against the unsuccessful party. In other words, the general rule is that a successful party will be awarded costs.

Court, however, declined to award Irene the interest on the monies she had sought. The rationale for interest is that the guilty party has taken and used the complainant’s money and benefitted from it. Consequently the guilty party ought to compensate the complainant for the benefit. The award of interest is discretionary and the basis of an award of interest is that the guilty party has kept the complainant out of his money and the guilty party has held the use of it to himself, so he ought to compensate the complainant accordingly. In the instant case it had not been shown that Marie Stopes kept Irene out of the use of her money or that the service provider used Irene’s money for its own benefit.

In the fifth part of our summary capturing what all 25 witnesses said in a case where Molly Katanga is being tried for the murder of her husband, Henry Katanga, on November 2, 2023, we capture what experts from the Uganda Police Force and Naome Nyangweso said while on the stand.

Molly is facing trial together with her two daughters-Martha Katanga and Patricia Kakwanzi-as well as a medical worker Charles Otai and long-serving Katanga shamba boy George Amanyire.

The latter four are facing charges relating to evidence tampering and being accessories after the fact.

The court will render a decision on February 19, 2026 as to whether the prosecution has established a prima facie case against the accused persons. Below is a summary of what witnesses 17, 18 and 19 told the court.

Emmanuel Odong

The 30-year-old police officer who has been in police since 2019, Odong testified in June, 2025.

At the time, he was a police officer attached to the Directorate of ICT – National Command and Control Centre at the Police headquarters in Naguru, where he works as a CCTV analyst. His job is to analyse CCTV footage, write reports and tender evidence in the courts. He holds a diploma in Computer Science from Kampala International University (KIU) and certificates in software development and cybersecurity.

In this case, he was instructed by his supervisor, SP Vincent Etuket, to join the investigating team at the Katanga residence on Chwa II Road, Mbuya on November 2, 2023, the day Henry died. He was led to the CCTV room by Ms Kakwanzi, one of the Katanga daughters. They were given passwords, reviewed the footage and identified the persons in the footage.

He said there were some missing events when electricity went off. This was explained by the defence as a result of Umeme units getting spent but the CCTV recording was restored as soon as the power token was bought. They provided a letter from Umeme and a copy of the account statement to back up their claims.

Mr Odong also analysed police and private CCTV footage in the neighbourhood of the Katanga residence. He spoke about the time Mr Otai entered the Katanga household with a backpack, the time the ambulance took Molly to hospital, as well as the time the funeral van took Henry’s body to the mortuary.

He showed footage of a car entering the Katanga residence at 7.23am, most likely one in which the Katanga daughters arrived, and then another car driving out towards Bugolobi Medical Centre at 7.35am, most likely the one that rushed Molly to that medical centre for first aid.

Mr Odong then told the court, on cross examination, that he saw footage of an ambulance that had Molly approaching IHK at 8.05am. On re-examination, he was asked if he could tell that CCTV footage had been tampered with and he said no.

Aisha Birungi

Ms Birungi is a detective, who at the time she testified in June 2025, was attached to parliamentary police. She has been in the police for more than 35 years. She’s said to have collected the samples from Molly’s palms, fingers and mouth that were used for analysis of DNA and Gunshot Residue (GSR).

The State is hoping to rely on this evidence to link Molly to the killer gun. The argument being that the presence of her DNA and presence of traces of GSR on her somehow proves she fired the gun.

Ms Birungi’s evidence in chief was led by Chief Prosecutor Jonathan Muwaganya.

Back in November 2023, she said she was a Scene-of-Crime-Officer (SOCO) attached to Kabalagala Police Station in the IHK vicinity.

As a SOCO, her job entailed: viewing scenes of crime, fingerprinting, collecting vital evidence from the crime scene, making reports and going to court to testify in case there’s need. She said on November 2, 2023, she was called by her boss to go to IHK to take samples from a murder suspect, Molly, who she said was admitted there in the ICU.

Ms Birungi said she arrived at the hospital around 2pm, signed in at the main gate, went to the reception where she met with a one nurse Flavia and then later was introduced to a Dr Brian, whose office she went to.

She then signed a visitors’ book and was ushered into the ICU where Molly lay on bed ‘without any life support machines.’

Ms Birungi then said nurse Flavia showed her a light-skinned lady whose entire arms were wrapped in bandages. She was asleep.

Ms Birungi didn’t greet or talk to Molly because she’d been told not to.

Ms Birungi went ahead to swab the palms of her hands and got a buccal (mouth) swab, which she said was meant to get her DNA.

On cross examination led by Mr Elison Karuhanga of Kampala Associated Advocates, Ms Birungi seemed to walk back the claim that she signed in the book at the main gate, saying instead she signed in a one ‘Dr Brian’s’ office book.

At the instruction of his client, Mr Karuhanga put it to her that there wasn’t a Dr Brian on Molly’s care team and there might not be one at IHK.

In a dramatic twist, Mr Karuhanga pulled out a medical chart from the hospital and put it to Ms Birungi that at the time she said to have seen Molly in the ICU, between 2pm and 3pm, the matriarch of the Katanga household was in fact in theatre having an operation and was only brought to ICU at 5pm.

The defence counsel consequently wondered how Ms Birungi could have swabbed Molly’s hands that she said were wrapped to the tip or how she could shove ‘things in her mouth’ without incident.

The defence said there’s no record of Ms Birungi having gone to IHK since she neither provided proof of registration nor a photo or video of her at the scene or one of the scene itself.

The defence called her entire evidence ‘fabricated’ and in a particularly feisty exchange, MacDusman Kabega, who seemed exasperated, because the witness couldn’t recall the time she left her duty station for IHK, didn’t record it, couldn’t remember when she handed over exhibits to the Lead Investigator DSP Bibiana Akong and couldn’t provide any specific details as to time and place, which compelled Kabega to call Birungi’s conduct of the process ‘incompetence.’

The witness was asked on re-examination by Jonathan Muwaganya why she didn’t take a single picture or even video during her alleged time in Molly’s ICU room.

Ms Birungi said she had been stopped by a one Dr Brian.

Asked why she didn’t take fingerprints, she said: ‘My Lord, I was not allowed by the doctor to do anything to the suspect’.

She said for her to take fingerprints, she needed to have made Molly sit up in her bed and that this wasn’t allowed by Dr Brian. She couldn’t identify Dr Brian or nurse Flavia beyond mentioning their first names.

Ms Birungi also didn’t take their IDs and neither did she know their second names. When asked by Mr Muwaganya why she hadn’t taken their identification documents, she said ‘they’d been introduced to her so she saw no need of taking their IDs.’

When asked how she managed to swab the palms of Molly (despite her hands being wrapped in a cast to the fingertips), she said she slipped a swab ‘underneath the bandage’ and swabbed the palm of her hands.

Rashida Naluzze

She is a regional CID officer in her late 30s, currently stationed at Busoga North Regional Headquarters. She was previously stationed at Katwe police post. Her Evidence-in-Chief given before presiding Judge Rosette Comfort Kania, was led by Chief State Attorney, Jonathan Muwaganya.

In a rather stunning revelation, Ms Naluzze told court that the DPP charged Molly with murder long before she had her statement. Molly was, at the time of the charges, in IHK (hospital) fighting for her life.

According to Molly’s medical team at the hospital, she was admitted in hypovolemic shock, had multiple injuries to the head and had broken limbs. They had to amputate one of her fingers because it couldn’t be salvaged.

Ms Naluzze, quoting Molly’s doctors, said the latter couldn’t record a statement back in November 2023 due to multiple challenges with her health.

The same was recorded in January 2024 after an independent medical examination had been done that found Molly in good enough health and cognitive state to record a statement. In the statement, Molly said she’d learnt of her husband’s death in hospital, she had been in an uninterrupted marriage with Henry until his death.

She added that her lawyers, Bruce Musinguzi, Jet and Kabega, had informed her while in hospital that she had been charged with murder. She refused to go into details of the events leading to the death of her husband, saying whoever charged her with murder should say how she is supposed to have done it. She didn’t know. Molly spoke about the people she stayed with in her household, including a young son. She said the rest would be said in court.

Evidence

CCTV footage

Showed several vehicles, including an ambulance and a funeral van, entering and leaving the Katanga home on the morning of November 2, 2023.

Contained gaps caused by a power outage; recording resumed after electricity units were bought.

CCTV footage was not tampered with.

DNA and Gunshot Residue (GSR) samples

Swabs were taken from Molly Katanga’s palms, fingers and mouth for DNA and GSR analysis when she was admitted in hospital.

No clear record was produced showing when the samples were handed over to investigators.

Medical charts showed Molly was in theatre between 2pm and 3pm on November 2, 2023.

She was transferred to ICU at about 5pm

No hospital visitor registration records were produced to confirm when the samples were taken.

No photographs or video recordings were presented to document the sample collection process.

Charging timeline evidence

Records showed Molly was charged with murder before a formal police statement was recorded from her.

Her statement was later taken in January 2024 after medical clearance.

This was the year that the remaining pillars of the late-20th-Century order were shattered, exposing the hollow core of what passed for a global system. Three blows sufficed.

The first was Russia’s impending victory in Ukraine over Europe’s combined leadership. For almost four years, the European Union and Nato engaged in a perilous double game.

On one hand, they committed rhetorically to a Ukrainian victory they were unwilling to bankroll. On the other hand, they exploited this never-ending war to advance a new political and economic domestic consensus: military Keynesianism would be their last-ditch stand against Europe’s deindustrialisation.

In a continent where debilitating political constraints forbade significant deficit-funded green investments or social policies, the war in Ukraine provided a powerful rationale for funnelling public debt into the defence-industrial complex.

The unspoken truth was that a forever war served a critical function: it was the perfect engine for Keynesian pump-priming of Europe’s stagnating economy. The contradiction was fatal: If the Ukraine war ended with a peace deal, it would be hard to sustain this economic pump-priming.

Yet to achieve a victory that would justify the spending was deemed too expensive financially and too risky geo-strategically. Thus, Europe settled on the worst possible strategy: sending just enough equipment to Ukraine to prolong the bleeding without altering its course.

Now that Russia is set to prevail (a predictable result that US President Donald Trump merely brought forward), the EU’s best-laid plans lay in ruins. Europe has no Plan B for peace because its entire strategic posture had become dependent on the war’s continuance. The second shock was that China won the trade war against the United States.

The US strategy, initiated under Trump’s first administration and intensified under Joe Biden, was a pincer move: tariff barriers to cripple Chinese access to markets, and embargoes on advanced semiconductors and fabrication tools to cripple its technological ascent. In 2025, this strategy met its Waterloo, and Europe was again the primary collateral damage.

China responded with a masterful two-part response. First, it weaponised its dominance over rare earths and critical minerals, triggering a supply-chain seizure that paralysed not so much American, but European and East Asian green manufacturing.

Second, and most injuriously for America’s standing as the global tech leader, China mobilised its ‘whole-nation system’ toward a single goal: technological autarky. The result was a staggering acceleration in domestic chip production, with SMIC and Huawei achieving breakthroughs that rendered the US-led Western embargo not just obsolete, but counterproductive.

This is probably the shock with the longest-lasting repercussions. The US proved incapable of slowing China’s rise and, instead, unwittingly propelled its tech sector toward full independence.

And Europe, having dutifully imposed on China the sanctions dictated by the White House, was left with the worst of all worlds: increasingly shut out of the lucrative Chinese market for its high-value goods, yet receiving none of the lavish subsidies and on-shoring benefits of the now rescinded US Inflation Reduction Act.

The third shock was the ease with which Trump won his tariff war with the EU. At the end of their meeting at one of Trump’s golf clubs in Scotland, choreographed by his men to maximise her humiliation, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, struggled to portray a surrender document as a ‘landmark agreement’.

Tariffs on European exports to the US jumped from around 1.2 percent to 15 percent and in some cases to 25 percent and 50 percent. Long-standing EU tariffs on US exports were cancelled. Last but not least, the Commission committed to $600 billion of European investment in US industry on US soil.

This was more than a bad deal. It was an unprecedented capital extraction treaty. It formalises the EU’s transition from an industrial competitor to a supplicant. Europe is to be a source of capital, a regulated market for US goods, and a technologically dependent junior partner.

This new reality was codified in a binding commitment, to which all 27 EU member states have now agreed, stripping the bloc of any pretence of sovereignty.

Part of the capital Trump needs to consolidate his vision of a G2 world structured around the Washington-Beijing axis is now contractually obligated to flow from Europe westward.

When many Ugandan farmers think about cattle keeping, they imagine vast grazing fields stretching over many acres. But for a growing number of small-scale farmers, limited land is no longer a barrier to running a productive, profitable cattle enterprise. With the right feeding system, improved breeds, and good management practices, even one or two acres can support a thriving herd. Ms Johaifah Nabukenya a livestock specialist and smallholder farmer based in Maya Wakiso District, believes the shift toward intensive, smart cattle farming is long overdue.

‘You don’t need 50 acres to keep healthy cattle. What you need is proper planning, good pasture management, and the discipline to feed your animals onsistently. I have trained farmers who are earning more from five well-managed cows on small land than others with 40 cows on 20 acres.’ She says

Starting small, thinking smart

She says that for most small-scale farmers, the biggest challenge is deciding where to start, beginning with what the land can realistically support. ‘Start with two or three animals instead of buying ten cows you cannot feed. Cattle keeping is not a competition. It’s about productivity per cow, not the number of cows you own,’ she says.

Ms Nabukenya adds that farmers with less than one acre are encouraged to adopt zero-grazing or semi-intensive systems, where animals are housed and fed in one place. This reduces disease exposure, protects pasture, and allows farmers to control feeding. ‘Zero-grazing has changed lives and if you can grow enough fodder and provide clean water every day, you will be shocked at how much milk a single cow can produce.’ She says

Feeding

Ms Nabukenya says that feeding remains the largest determinant of productiviy, insisting that 70 percent of small-scale failures come from poor fodder planning.

‘A cow cannot produce milk from air, if you want steady milk, you must plant grass deliberately or buy silage , the same way someone plants beans or maize for human consumption’ she says

She adds that many farmers plant just a small patch of napier, hoping it will feed multiple cows but it’s the fastest road to disappointment because it cannot satisfy the cattles. She recommends that a farmer dedicates at least half an acre strictly to fodder production, using high-yielding varieties and practicing rotational harvesting.

Choosing the Right Breed

Ms Nabukenya says that for farmers with limited land, breed selection is crucial. High-yielding dairy breeds such as Friesians or Jerseys can thrive under zero-grazing if fed and watered well. ‘Farmers should buy fewer animals of better quality than buying many which are not productive, it’s better to keep two good cows than ten poor ones. Quality always wins,’ she emphasises.

She adds that small spaces can quickly become hotspots for disease if hygiene is neglected. Regular cleaning of the cowshed, routine deworming, and vaccinations are non-negotiable. ‘It costs less to prevent disease than to treat them , you must ensure that clean water, clean feed, and a clean shelter are the true medicine for cattle.’ She says

Profits on small farms

Ms Nabukenya says that while large farms often struggle with feeding costs and labour, small-scale farmers can track expenditure more easily and respond quickly to animal needs. Many earn from milk, manure, breeding heifers, and selling silage. ‘If you manage well, one cow can pay school fees, another can handle household bills, and a third can build your savings. The size of your land does not determine your success your management does,’ she says

She also revealed that climate change continues to reduce grazing land, farmers are being pushed to adopt smarter, land-efficient systems.’I believe the future of dairy lies not in large ranches but in well-planned smallholder units,’ ‘ Cattle farming is evolve those who embrace intensive, informed practices and they can thrive, even on one acre. The secret is simple: take care of your cows, and they will take care of you,’ she concludes.

Making the Most of Limited Land

To maximize production on small plots, farmers must treat cattle farming as a planned system rather than a free-range activity. ‘These can be done by mixing fast-growing and slow-growing grasses to ensure feed availability year-round, preserving grass during rainy seasons prevents shortages during droughts and making silage a daily routine your cows will never starve, even in the dry season,’ Ms Johaifah Nabukenya a livestock specialist says.

Farmer community seed banks in Uganda are vital local initiatives preserving crop diversity, ensuring food security and empowering smallholder farmers by promoting the saving, sharing and use of indigenous and improved seeds. There are about 40 farmer community seed banks across the country in the districts of Hoima, Sheema, Masaka, Gulu, Nakaseke, Bwikwi, Apac, and with recent established in Nyatonzi, Masindi district amidst sugarcane plantations serving Kinyara Sugar Ltd.

These seed banks focus on conserving local crop diversity such as beans, groundnuts, sorghum and millet among others to improve farmer livelihoods and seed sovereignty. According to experts, community seed banks first appeared towards the end of the 1980s. Countries that pioneered various types of community seed banks include Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Nicaragua, the Philippines and Zimbabwe. In countries such as Australia, Canada, UK community seed banks are commonly known as a seed savers network.

Over time, the number and diversity of seed banks has grown, including in Uganda, with the support of scientists from the National Research Organisation and non governmental organisations Experts note that seed is a reproducible resource that is the most important input for agricultural production and the foundation of a farmer’s livelihood and food security. Seed links conservation, cultivation, production, consumption and trade to the commercialisation of agriculture.

Telling the difference

Quality control is the basis of a community seed bank’s reputation and farmers are called upon to differentiate seeds from grains. Farmers are also are required to observe the properties of quality seed which include maintaining genetic purity, high germination rates and being disease-free. Quality control mechanisms can reinforce a positive change in seed quality can boost the crops’ yielding potential more than any other input.

Seed banks in Western Uganda

There are two community seed banks in Hoima and Masindi districts, with the latter launched this week though it has been in operation since 2023. The two seed banks have been established with the help of scientists at the Plant Genetic Resource Centre (PGRC) in collaboration with Alliance Bioversity and CIAT with funding from the government of Netherlands. Ms Joyce Adokorach, a research officer at PGRC who has been leading the team explains that the seed banks were established under a project initiative which started in 2016

The first phase of the project which was implemented in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania namely ‘Open source Seed system for common beans, finger millet and sorghum climate change adoption’ led to formation of Hoima Community Seed bank in 2018. The initiative was so that the three countries to exchange seed of the three crop varieties and test them in farmer fields. In Uganda several varieties of finger millet and common beans were tested, multiplied on station and given to farmers for on farm trials.

The results emerged successful with 40 varieties being selected by farmers. However, farmers cannot yet use the selected varieties from Kenya and Tanzania because the current multilateral law of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) does not allow. Experts are working around the clock to amend the law to enable farmers use indigenous seed from other countries because for now, it can only be used for research. The second phase of the project named ‘Enabling and Scaling open-source seed system for common beans, finger millet and sorghum in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania for climate change adaptation’ is ongoing.

It involves three community seed banks – namely Hoima Community Seed Bank, Nyatonzi Community Seed bank in Masindi district and another in Soroti. The component of the Seed banks includes storing seed for conservation and milling machine for processing flour for value addition. Ms Adokorach explained that farmers are not limited to conserving seed for the three crops but include all crop varieties of their choice including vegetables and fruits. ‘The focus right now is on seed multiplication and value addition in a bid to provide food and nutrition security,’ she says.

Sensitisation key

Ms Agatha Banganyire, the Hoima Community seed bank secretary notes that they have about 20 members from eight villages across Hoima. The team has been sensitised on how to preserve seeds which includes use of air tight containers to avoid moisture infiltration. ‘They use beads tied in cloth which are placed in the seed container to suck any moisture in case of any,’ she says. ‘To avoid weevil attacks, the team uses local methods of preserving including use of red pepper and leaves of local plants known by community members.’

The distribution method involves giving farmers seed during planting season. Quantities vary from one farmer to another depending on the land size. In return, farmers are expected to bring back double the quantity they obtained from the seed bank. On the other hand, the coordinator of the project from Alliance Bioversity and CIAT, Daudi Mubiru expressed gratitude to farmers in Nyatonzi for their cooperation since 2023 and encouraged them to fully utilize the seed bank facility to their own benefit. ‘The food system today is faced with challenges of climate change, pests and diseases and increased food price.

To address this challenges is for farmers to have access to diverse crop seed types. By keeping their seed collectively in seed bank, they will be able to access various seed varieties some of which are early maturing, pest and disease free and this will enable increase production for food security and for earning income,’ he says. The bank’s chairperson Bosco Jadri said having their own facility is a big achievement because they will be able to regenerate the lost biodiversity. The major seeds being conserved are finger millet, common beans and sorghum. The team has gone ahead to preserve cow pea seed, Nakatti and Soybeans. Since the facility has a milling machine, their major focus will be on processing flour from soy bean, finger millet, sorghum and package the same as income earning initiative.