Category: Daily Monitor

Police have arrested two more suspects in connection with the brutal mob killing of national rugby player Sydney Gongodyo, bringing the total number of individuals in custody to 10.

Gongodyo, a 27-year-old forward for the national 15s team (Rugby Cranes) and a stalwart for the Stanbic Black Pirates Rugby Club, was beaten to death on Friday, June 5, 2026, in the Kampala suburb of Bukoto.

In an evening update on Tuesday, June 9, Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Racheal Kawala confirmed the latest arrests, identifying the duo as Mugwiisa Obed and Owino Joseph, a local security guard.

According to the police, Mugwiisa was captured on video footage wearing a yellow T-shirt and carrying a large log during the fatal attack.

“During interrogation, [Mugwiisa] led investigators to a local laundry (dobbi) where he had taken the yellow T-shirt he was seen wearing on the day of the attack. The garment was subsequently recovered,” Ms Kawala said.

The duo joins eight other suspects arrested earlier. They include Ssebagala Noordin, Ayebazibwe Roden, Namukose Juliet, Elly Mondoni, Herbert Twinomujuni, Katsigazi Perigrino, Darlious Tayebwa, and Hannington Tugume.

Preliminary investigations indicate that Gongodyo, who was also a student at Makerere University, was attacked by a chaotic crowd after being falsely accused of snatching a woman’s handbag. Although police intervened and rushed him to Mulago National Referral Hospital, the sportsman succumbed to his severe injuries shortly after arrival.

The tragic loss sent shockwaves through the sports fraternity, forcing the postponement of the highly anticipated Uganda Rugby Premiership semi-final matches. Uganda Rugby Union President, Godwin Kayangwe, described Gongodyo’s death as a “monumental loss to the sport.”

“Efforts are ongoing to identify, trace, and apprehend other individuals believed to have participated in the incident. We remain committed to ensuring that all those responsible for this criminal act are held accountable,” Ms. Kawala stated, warning that participating in a lynch mob is a capital offense.

Gongodyo’s death shines a harsh spotlight on Uganda’s persistent crisis of vigilantism and mob action. Law enforcement authorities warn that criminals frequently exploit crowd chaos to target innocent individuals, steal from victims, or settle personal grudges under the guise of jungle justice.

According to the Uganda Police Force Annual Crime Report 2025, mob action accounted for 950 registered murder cases-a staggering 22.4 per cent of all 4,238 homicides recorded nationwide. The report highlighted the Kampala Metropolitan area as a major hotspot for vigilante justice, where most victims are beaten to death using blunt objects, stones, or wooden planks over low-level offenses like alleged petty theft.

Human rights groups have previously attributed this deadly trend to systemic public distrust in the formal justice system, corruption, and delayed prosecutions, which drive communities to take the law into their own hands.

However, police have reiterated that public frustration is no excuse for murder. Security agencies maintain that all perpetrators identified in the video footage or linked to the Bukoto attack will face immediate murder charges in court as investigations continue.

A 30-year-old man has emerged at the ancestral home of the late Kadongo Kamu music icon, Paulo Kafeero, claiming to be the singer’s biological son. This dramatic development comes amidst escalating family disputes and the recent exhumation of the musician’s remains for DNA testing.

The claimant, identifying himself as Stephen Mukiibi, arrived on a motorcycle at the estate in Masaaba Village, Nkokonjeru, accompanied by his grandfather, Tadeo Lulika. Mukiibi, who travels from Nanula Village in Kasanda District with an official introduction letter from his local chairman, was discovered by reporters at Kafeero’s gravesite.

Upon arrival, a visibly emotional Mukiibi entered the burial house, knelt by the grave to whisper quiet supplications, and wiped the tomb with a cloth. Speaking on Monday, Mukiibi revealed that his sudden appearance was triggered by a series of unsettling, recurring dreams.

“I have been dreaming about Kafeero almost every day,” Mukiibi stated. “He keeps telling me to find Masaba Village, and that I will not have peace until I do.”

Mukiibi explained that he initially dismissed the spiritual visitations. However, the dreams intensified-culminating in a vision of Kafeero dressed in a traditional kanzu and clutching a guitar-just as public controversy erupted regarding the exhumation of the singer’s remains last week.

Mukiibi attributes a lifetime of personal misfortune, including failed relationships and stalled ambitions, to his disconnected clan identity. He hopes this visit will bring closure.

His grandfather, Tadeo Lulika, confirmed the supernatural accounts and stated they are fully prepared to validate the lineage scientifically.

“He told me about the dreams… so I decided to bring him here, and he is ready to undergo DNA testing,” Lulika said. He noted, however, that Mukiibi’s mother is currently mentally unstable and unable to verify the paternity claims.

Stella Nantongo, one of Kafeero’s daughters currently managing the Masaba estate, maintained a welcoming but cautious stance. She stated that the family accommodates all peaceful visitors, noting that numerous individuals have come forward claiming ties to the legendary musician since his passing.

With Kafeero’s estate already embroiled in legal and biological disputes, Mukiibi’s arrival adds a profound layer of mystery to the legacy of one of Uganda’s greatest folk storytellers.

Today, sometimes it is difficult to know who truly governs Uganda -President Museveni and the First Son, Gen Muhoozi Kenyarugaba, are respectively in command of State responsibilities. It is good to note that Gen Muhoozi has a phobia for corruption, save that he seems to be forgetting that his political directives lack the force of law of Parliament and are, therefore, in open defiance of Articles 79 (2) and 208 (2) of the Constitution. Ugandans cannot forget the significance of President Museveni’s Luweero Triangular war waged 40 years ago to put an end to omnipotent dictatorship in the country, save that the good days are yet to come.

Unlike many a dictator in Africa, Gen Museveni belongs to a breed of Socialist intellectuals who can very easily confuse the population through the advocacy of patriotism and social economic transformation, and his book on ‘the Mustard Seed,’ says it all. Behind Museveni now is the rampant failure to ensure the existence of constitutional governance, which he vowed to protect at all times when he went to the bush. The government programme is beginning to slide back to where we were when Museveni last commanded the 27 gallant men to invade Kabamba. What is happening in government is very far from what people expected.

There is little to show that the President is ruling us in accordance with what he promised when he came to power in 1986. The 1995 Constitution is gradually collapsing. Metro FM radio, recently played back the recorded speech of [former president] Apolo Milton Obote in Mbale, Bugisu during his 2nd presidential term of office where he openly admitted that federal governance among the regions of Uganda, at Independence, was reached through consensus. He however, added that when he saw the late Sir Edward Muteesa beginning to dominate Uganda’s political scene, he was forced to throw him out of office for fear of what was about to happen.

That is an open admission that Obote had no sound reasons for obliterating the Federal Constitution under which the Uganda nation was founded. It is on record that when the late Daudi Ochieng moved an impeachment motion on the floor of the National Assembly, mentioning the involvement of then prime minister Obote and his henchmen, in the Congo gold/ivory scandal, he could not wait for that motion to be debated. He summoned the legislators for an emergency sitting and declared the 1962 Constitution abolished by telling them to find the new Constitution in their respective pigeon-holes. As if that was not enough, Obote framed the infamous court case of Uganda Vs Commissioner of Prisons ex-parte Matovu (1966) where his Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs acted as a State witness to boost the prosecution side.

The people of Uganda have never recovered from that turbulent shock up to now. The report of Justice Odoki’s Constitutional Review Commission in the 1990s, revealed that a federal system of government was still popular among the people of Uganda, as opposed to what the Constituent Assembly that later side-lined the Federal factor. The Constituent Assembly, however, laid a lot of emphasis on the sovereignty of the people of Uganda under Article 1 of the Constitution and the democratic principles in the national objectives and directives of State policy. The failure of the NRM government to re-instate federal governance, arbitrarily banished by Obote in 1966, is the main source of social, political and economic stagnation prevailing in the country today.

Since the banning of the federal basic law, Ugandans have never seen the political light of day. That power belongs to the people as stated under Article 1 of the Constitution, cannot alone guarantee the permanent ‘existence of people’s right to self-determination’. The general elections through which that can be enforced, are not free and fair and its products may not be necessarily empowered. There is, therefore, an urgent need to amend Article 178 of the Constitution on regional governance to address its current deficiencies. In the event that nothing happens, our bid in search of liberation to regain federal independence through the international Court of Justice in the Hague, should not be ruled out.

Before he became the executive director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), before he was entrusted with overseeing national parks, wildlife reserves, and some of the country’s most treasured natural assets, James Musinguzi was a schoolboy on an excursion who stood calmly in front of a chimpanzee enclosure, watching. Around him, children marvelled at the animals’ size, their playful swings, their familiar faces. But Musinguzi was watching how the chimpanzees interacted with one another. He noticed their discipline, their social structure, the deliberate way they selected and used simple tools. The experience left him with questions.

“I was fascinated by the level of organisation and intelligence of the animals,” he recalls.

That fascination did not fade. It became the engine of a career that would eventually place him at the centre of Uganda’s conservation efforts. But the journey from that school trip to the executive director’s office was not a straight line. It was a slow accumulation of understanding, about nature, about people, and about the fragile threads that connect them.

Defining the mission

Musinguzi describes himself first as a Christian, a family man, and a believer in community service. Away from the office, he enjoys interacting with people and participating in local development initiatives. During the Covid-19 lockdown, he mobilised residents in his village to open up roads that had become impassable. He mentions this not as a boast but as an illustration of a guiding belief; partnerships, social cohesion, working together regardless of class. That philosophy shapes nearly everything he does.

Growing up, he became increasingly aware of how interconnected life is. People depend on the environment. Animals depend on ecosystems. Plants support life. Nature sustains livelihoods.

He says, “We rely on each other. People need animals. Animals need the environment. We need the environment.”

That understanding led him to study conservation biology and wildlife management. But the deeper he ventured into the field, the more he realised that conservation was not merely about protecting animals or managing protected areas. He became fascinated by the role wild plants play in medicine. He saw how ecosystems support livelihoods. He understood how wildlife contributes to tourism and economic development. And he arrived at a conviction that would define his career.

“I thought there was a need for a voice to be able to speak for these plants, to speak for these animals that may not necessarily speak but need to be heard.”

That is the job he now holds. To speak for the voiceless. To translate the needs of nature into the language of policy, budgets, and public will.

The strategic leader

Musinguzi takes over UWA at a critical moment. Tourism has been identified as one of the sectors expected to drive Uganda’s economic transformation. Nature-based tourism remains at the centre of that ambition, placing wildlife conservation in an increasingly strategic position. For him, conservation and development are complementary.

Healthy ecosystems attract visitors. Tourism creates jobs. Revenue generated through tourism supports conservation. Conservation protects the resources that attract tourists. The challenge is ensuring that the cycle continues.

Storytelling as infrastructure

He argues that storytelling is critical because it evokes memories and emotions. People protect what they value. They value what they understand. Stories help them understand. He sees journalists, photographers, filmmakers, and content creators as essential partners.

“They send a real photo. They send a real image. They are very powerful at telling stories.”

Confronting the threats

Despite his optimism, Musinguzi is under no illusions. Poaching remains a significant threat. Climate change is creating new pressures on ecosystems. Human-wildlife conflict continues to affect communities living near protected areas. As executive director, he intends to confront these challenges directly. He speaks about strengthening ranger training, enhancing intelligence gathering, increasing surveillance, and embracing technology.

Among the initiatives he is particularly enthusiastic about is the establishment of a DNA forensic laboratory capable of supporting wildlife crime investigations. The facility will strengthen prosecution efforts by helping authorities identify the origin of wildlife products and provide evidence in court. He believes conservation must be both compassionate and firm.

“We are promoting zero tolerance to poaching,” he says.

Protecting wildlife requires education and awareness, but it also requires enforcement.

The community question

Musinguzi returns, again and again, to communities. For decades, many communities have borne the costs of wildlife conservation. Crop raids, livestock losses, and other forms of human-wildlife conflict remain daily realities for families living near parks. He argues that conservation cannot succeed unless these communities feel included and supported.

“The communities must feel the benefits of the parks that are near them.”

This principle informs much of his thinking. He speaks about revenue-sharing programmes, employment opportunities, scholarships, and livelihood projects designed to ensure that conservation delivers tangible benefits. The goal is coexistence and partnership. He wants communities to see protected areas not as burdens but as opportunities. He wants them to become ambassadors for conservation. It is a matter of relationships as much as policies. The relationship between people and nature. Between communities and parks.

A personal connection

His affection for wildlife remains deeply personal. When asked his favourite animal, he responds without hesitation; the giraffe. He admires its elegance, its height, the way it seems to survey the world from above.

“The sight of giraffes with their long necks being so strategic, looking far and ahead, has always been fascinating to me.”

His favourite destination is Kidepo Valley National Park. He speaks about it with unmistakable admiration. To him, Kidepo represents one of the last truly wild landscapes in Africa; a place where nature still feels untouched, with sweeping valleys, dramatic mountains, and vast open spaces. He notes that today’s travellers are increasingly seeking meaningful and immersive experiences.

“The ecotourist is looking for an undisturbed place,” he says. Kidepo, he believes, offers exactly that.

Beyond wildlife tourism

While gorillas, lions, and elephants remain central attractions, Musinguzi believes Uganda has many other stories waiting to be told; birds, unique plant life, archaeological sites, rock art, landscapes, cultures, and communities.

”We are working on product identification, packaging and selling Uganda beyond wildlife,” he says.

The ambassador’s call

Musinguzi strongly believes that Ugandans themselves must become the first ambassadors of their country.

“First of all, we need to appreciate Uganda ourselves first as Ugandans. You can only promote what you know.”

He talks about Uganda’s extraordinary beauty; its wildlife, landscapes, and people, with the enthusiasm of someone who continues to discover the country despite spending years working within it. The climbing lions, the shoebills, the birds, the wilderness areas. Appreciating Uganda, he says, is the first step towards protecting it.

This is not about conservation targets or tourism statistics. It is about safeguarding a legacy. Ensuring that future generations inherit the same natural wonders that inspired him as a child. The same chimpanzees. The same giraffes. The same wilderness. The same stories.

President Museveni chose not to address the newly sworn-in Cabinet ministers yesterday. Instead, he promised to deliver his remarks during the 2026/27 Budget Day, scheduled for this Thursday.

His speech will highlight the main priorities for his new Cabinet and reiterate his commitment to the ‘no more sleep’ agenda.

The President, according to State House insiders and ruling party officials, is expected to unveil his seventh elective term priorities that directly affect ordinary Ugandans and align with his commitment to accelerate the country’s journey towards high middle-income status while ensuring that no citizen is left behind. Additional details are expected to emerge from a Cabinet retreat planned for later this month.

As the country awaits the President’s address, Daily Monitor yesterday engaged key stakeholders from across the political divide to gather insights on the critical challenges that the incoming Cabinet must tackle as they assume their respective statutory roles.

Rose Namayanja, NRM’s Deputy Secretary General

Wealth creation and household incomes.

Youth employment and skills

Quality education and healthcare

Industrialisation and private sector growth

Fighting corruption through stronger accountability in service delivery and reducing budget leakages.

Julius Mukunda, Head of Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group

Promote Commercial Diplomacy: With our trade deficit exceeding $2 billion annually, our embassies must pivot into active trade desks. We need aggressive commercial diplomacy to open foreign markets, boost Ugandan exports, and attract FDI.

Fix the Shs10 trillion Domestic Arrears: This debt, equivalent to nearly 6 percent of our GDP, is suffocating thousands of local contractors. Clearing it is an economic emergency that will instantly inject liquidity back into the private sector and stabilise local banks.

Address Corruption Head-On: Public procurement accounts for over 70 percent of the national budget, yet the Auditor General reports consistently flag billions of shillings in leakages. We need strict enforcement and zero tolerance to plug these procurement holes.

Fix youth unemployment and wealth creation: Over 75 percent of our population is under the age of 30. We must shift from rhetoric to action by providing accessible credit to youth-led SMEs and commercialising agriculture to target the creation of at least 500,000 new jobs annually.

Improve PIMS (Public Investment Management): With development spending consuming over 20 percent of the national budget, we must reform PIMS to eliminate the massive cost overruns and stalled ‘white elephant’ projects, ensuring maximum return on investment for every taxpayer shilling. Delivering on these five areas will stabilise our economy and restore public trust.

Prof Venansius Baryamureeba, computer scientist, academic, former presidential aspirant

Prioritisation and efficient use of the use of government resources in strategic areas.

Zero tolerance to corruption, i.e., they must fully fight corruption.

Creating an enabling policy and legal environment for doing business to attract foreign direct investments and local investments in the economy.

Focus on the improvement of social services for all.

Improve service delivery through full implementation of e-government.

David Bahati, State Minister for Industry

Industrialisation

Boosting exports

Wealth creation through the Parish Development Model

Creation of jobs

Peace and security

Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, Former Shadow Finance Minister

The new Cabinet must tackle the current unemployment crisis, especially among the youth. The 2024 Census put the figure of youth aged 18 to 30 at about 10.6 million. Five million of these are not in employment or education.

The second issue is health and education (human capital development). According to a World Bank human capital development report, children in school today will not exceed 39 percent of productivity, the world average is 50, because of low investment in education and health.

Business discontinuation crisis. Again, according to the World Bank, every four businesses that start, three close before their fifth birthday.

The most important issues of human rights and democracy. Youths kidnapped and tortured by the military during elections must be freed.

All political prisoners, including Dr Kizza Besigye, must be freed. This should be followed by necessary reforms to create certainty.

Dr Akankwasa Barirega, Executive Director of the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA)

Strengthening institutions to deliver critical services for economic production.

Refocusing spending in productive sectors that generate more resources for the people of Uganda.

Sustainable management of the environment as a pillar for economic growth and transformation. No economy can be sustained without rainfall, water, clean air, etc.

Reducing government red tape to facilitate faster and more efficient service delivery to the citizens through digitization and automation of government processes.

Changing the citizen mindset from observers and talkers to active participation in service delivery and the transformation process. Citizens must be told the hard truth instead of being told only what pleases them. Hard truth builds a lasting nation.

Erias Lukwago, Former Kampala Lord Mayor

Governance issues, particularly the release of political prisoners and addressing the deteriorating human rights situation, as well as the restoration of the Rule of law.

Concrete macroeconomic interventions geared towards addressing the devastating unemployment crisis.

Realignment of the levers of power from the kitchen cabinet to the conventional cabinet and embark on implementation of the NDP1V, whose thrust is the 10-fold growth strategy.

Work towards ensuring the functionality of government institutions, including fighting corruption and theft of public funds.

Establishing a constitutional order that guarantees orderly succession to power.

Prof Mouhammad Mpezamihigo, VC Equator University of Science and Technology in Uganda

Enhancement of transparency by Public officers

Mapping national development through fair distribution of resources and the national cake.

Prioritisation of health, education, and food security

Full enforcement of the law against corrupt officers.

Reduction of waste of public resources in financing non-priority activities.

Beti Kamya Turwomwe, Former Inspector General of Government

Corruption

Corruption

Corruption

Eron Kiiza, Human Rights lawyer

The Cabinet needs to resurrect the Ugandan economy and stop pretending it is doing well while it’s sinking, so that Ugandans can work here rather than fleeing into slavery.

Uganda needs to sort governance by removing the military from civilian affairs and focusing it on national defence rather than having it run the show in Cabinet, Parliament, police, immigration, and even guarding private property, farms, and investors.

Cabinet needs to nurture Ugandan talent through education, music, sports, and technology.

Theodore Ssekikubo, Lwemiyaga Resident and former MP

Corruption: According to the IGG Report, the known annual amount embezzled is Shs12 trillion.

Wasteful expenditures across the board.

Emphasis on areas of comparative advantage – all-round agriculture, and harnessing the emerging areas of science and technology.

Health and education for healthy and productive Ugandans.

Infrastructure. Fixing the roads, railways, and tapping the economic potential from all parts of the country.

Prof Ogenga Latigo, Former Leader of Opposition and farmer

Investing in countryside agricultural development and rural transformation.

Focus on education that benefits all and caters for the huge number of 1-5 year old children, most of child mothers.

Upgrading to all-weather rural access roads and tarmacking the main streets of all major towns.

Investing in effective health service provision, particularly adequate staffing and remuneration; visible, prompt, and effective medical service- examination, treatment/surgery, medication, and home care.ing corruption, inequity in employment, and excessive wastage of national resources.

Marshall Alenyo, Jonam County MP

Wealth creation.

Fighting corruption.

Efficiency of the government institutions.

Championing of natural resources like oil to kick-start the economy.

Promote East African integration for a bigger regional market.

Wilfred Niwagaba, City Lawyer and former MP, Ndorwa County-East.

Release political prisoners and stop the continued disappearances of some of our citizens

Address the disparity in payment of arts and science civil servants, coupled with the current standoff on payment of medical interns, must also be addressed.

The state of the infrastructure, especially road networks, district and community access roads, and rural electrification.

All these cannot be addressed unless the budget priorities are reconfigured, coupled with minimising leakages of the taxpayers’ money

Crispin Kugiza Kaheru, Member, Uganda Human Rights Commission

Household incomes and jobs. The biggest political question is whether Ugandans can earn, save, feed, provide quality education for their children, and have money in their pockets. I hope this Cabinet can turn stability into jobs, especially for young people.

Production and value addition. They should promote a drive against exporting raw potential or material. Our agriculture, minerals, oil and tourism must be organised around value addition, industrialisation, standards, storage, markets and Ugandan ownership/BUBU.

Cabinet must make leakages politically expensive, and delivery administratively compulsory.

The Cabinet must move from talking to structural action.

They must ramp up independent prosecution of public officers, digitization of procurement, and seriously implement the moratorium on new administrative units.

This Cabinet must treat education, healthcare, skilling, and nutrition as economic investments rather than social expenditures.

Bureaucratic reform. Eliminate duplication, merge overlapping functions, reduce unnecessary administrative layers, digitize government services, accelerate decision-making, and ensure that every public institution delivers measurable value for us promptly, but also with value for money.

For the first time in three years, Uganda today commemorates its 37th Heroes’ Day “scientifically.” The traditional pomp, mammoth crowds, military parades, medal-awarding ceremonies, and rotational district-hosted celebrations have been shelved. Instead, the country marks the day under a cloud of health anxiety and intensifying political debate.

The abrupt shift follows a recent spike in Ebola cases, mirroring the dark days of the Covid-19 pandemic when the 2020, 2021, and 2022 anniversaries were forced into strict, socially distanced setups at the Kololo National Ceremonial Grounds.

While celebrations had returned to their grand, public format from 2023 onward-drawing veterans, cultural leaders, and ordinary citizens across various regions-the re-emergence of the highly contagious viral hemorrhagic fever has forced the government to hit the brakes.

On June 4, the Minister for the Presidency, Ms Milly Babalanda, announced that the 37th Heroes’ Day celebrations would be moved to State Lodge, Nakasero, with attendance strictly capped at just 25 VIP guests.

According to Ms Babalanda, the decision was a preemptive strike to prevent the mass spread of the disease, following reported outbreaks in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and subsequent warnings from global health authorities.

Data from the Ministry of Health indicates that Uganda currently has 12 active Ebola cases, two recorded deaths, and five recoveries. Given the high fatality rate of the virus, health officials warned that hosting a massive public gathering would present an unacceptable risk to public health security.

However, beyond the health crisis, this year’s Heroes’ Day arrives at a time of deep political fracture. Several opposition figures are currently grappling with severe legal and political challenges, prompting critics to question the government’s commitment to the very civil liberties the liberation struggle allegedly fought for.

Key opposition leaders argue that celebrating heroism rings hollow when voices of dissent are systematically silenced. Dr Kizza Besigye, the four-time presidential candidate and former president of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), continues to face persistent state surveillance and detentions. Meanwhile, Robert Kyagulanyi (alias Bobi Wine), the president of the National Unity Platform (NUP), remains outside the country after fleeing following heightened threats to his security after the last General Election.

Other high-ranking opposition figures, such as Mr Muwanga Kivumbi (NUP Deputy President for Buganda) and Mr Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro (NUP Deputy Spokesperson)-who recently suffered the tragedy of losing his wife while he was incarcerated-have repeatedly condemned what they term the weaponization of the law.

Speaking to this publication, opposition leaders urged Ugandans to use the day not for regime praise, but for sober reflection on the country’s democratic trajectory.

“We cannot celebrate Heroes Day while suffering from state-sanctioned amnesia,” said Mr Robert Maseruka, the Member of Parliament for Mukono South and Shadow Minister for Youth. “The state cannot claim to celebrate historical heroes while simultaneously criminalizing and trying the youth who possess that exact same courage today.”

Mr Maseruka demanded the immediate release of all political prisoners, including Olivia Lutaaya and dozens of other civilians currently facing trial in the General Court Martial. He also kept the spotlight on unresolved grievances, demanding justice for the over 54 Ugandans shot dead by security forces during the November 2020 riots, and answers regarding missing persons like John Ddamulira.

The lawmaker further argued that the definition of a Ugandan hero needs to be rescued from political elite circles and extended to ordinary citizens fighting for survival.

“Our true heroes are the single mothers in the marketplaces striving to make ends meet, the under-paid medical professionals operating in under-equipped rural facilities, and the teachers working for low wages yet molding the future of this country,” Maseruka added.

In tandem, Mr Francis Zaake, the Mityana Municipality MP and Shadow Chairperson of the Government Assurances Committee, criticized the government for failing to deliver on infrastructural promises, which he argued constitutes a betrayal of the citizens.

Mr Zaake highlighted several stalled multi-billion shilling government projects, including the delayed Kampala-Jinja Expressway, implementation gaps in Seed Secondary Schools, unfulfilled rural electrification commitments, and slow safe-water coverage promises.

“Ugandans are taxed heavily every day, yet they continue to suffer from dilapidated roads, inadequate health services, and rampant unemployment,” Zaake stated. “Every promise attached to public funds must produce visible results. Where implementation has failed, those responsible must answer.”

He noted that despite repeated government pledges to upgrade Health Centre IIIs and IVs nationwide, many rural facilities remain empty shells lacking basic medicines, staff accommodation, and ambulances.

The annual June 9 celebration is rooted in the bloody history of the Luwero Triangle guerrilla war (1981-1986) that brought President Yoweri Museveni to power.

Specifically, the day commemorates 15 civilians who were executed on June 9, 1981, in Kikandwa Village, Luwero District, by Milton Obote’s Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA). The victims were targeted under suspicion of harboring and aiding the rebels of the National Resistance Army (NRA).

Among those killed was Lutamaguzi Babumba and his grandfather, Nkangirwa, alongside others identified as Ssentongo, Siiza, and Ssempa. Historical accounts state that Lutamaguzi and his contemporaries refused to reveal the whereabouts of Museveni and his guerrilla fighters to the UNLA forces, a sacrifice that ensured the survival of the rebellion which eventually captured power on January 26, 1986.

This execution occurred just months after Museveni launched the bush war on February 6, 1981, with the famous attack on the Kabamba Military Training School in Mubende.

Thirty-seven years later, as 25 selected guests gather at Nakasero to remember that sacrifice under the shadow of Ebola, the debate rages on whether the democratic ideals Lutamaguzi died for have been realized, or if they remain an unfulfilled promise.

The mob has killed over 3,764 people in Uganda between January 2021 and December 2025, with most of the incidents caused by suspicion of theft, Uganda Police Force statistics show.

The latest incident was of a mob that committed murder by assault of a Rugby Cranes player Sydney Gongondyo, 27, in Nakawa Division, Kampala City last Friday.

According to the police, the mob accused Gongondyo of theft of a woman’s bag, but none of his accusers involved the law enforcement personnel or reported the case to the police.

Gongondyo’s case highlights the growing incidents of people taking the law into their hands despite the police warnings.

Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson SP Racheal Kawala confirmed officers rushed Gongodyo to Mulago National Referral Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries at approximately 7pm.

Three suspects, Noordin Ssebagala, Roden Ayebazibwe and Juliet Namukose are now in custody. Preliminary findings indicate he was subjected to mob action after being accused of snatching a handbag though police stressed the circumstances remain under active investigation.

Police spokesman, Mr Kituuma Rusoke, said some of the attackers use mob action to settle personal grievances with innocent victims.

‘The public is reminded that participation in mob action constitutes a serious criminal offence and may attract charges, including murder. We further caution the public against joining lynch mobs, as some individuals exploit such situations to settle personal grievances or target innocent persons under the guise of administering justice,’ Mr Rusoke said.

Last year, mob action cases contributed nearly a quarter of all homicide cases. At least 950 people were killed in mob action incidents, which was 22.4 percent of the total 4,238 homicide cases last year, according to the annual crime report of 2025.

The victims of mob action were mainly suspected of having committed offences such as theft, robbery, murder, witchcraft, and burglary, according to the 2025 crime report.

Most of the mob action cases were reported to the North Kyoga Police Region, which covers part of the Lango sub-region, with 73 cases.

Following closely is Kampala Metropolitan Police East Region with 71, West Nile Region with 68 incidents, Rwizi Region with 62 deaths and Albertine South with 57 cases. Luweero District registered the highest number of mob action cases among Ugandan police divisions/districts, with 30 deaths, followed by Naggalama Division with 22 incidents, and Mukono Division with 20 cases.

Mukono Division was followed by Katwe Division (in Kampala City) with 19 cases, and Kamuli District with 17 incidents.

Mr Rusoke cited the murder of Jacob Akankwasa, an employee of Kyambogo University, after he had a disagreement over transport fares with a boda boda rider on December 5, 2024 near the Catholic Shrine in Namugongo, Kira Municipality.

Several suspects in the killing of Akankwasa were arrested, and they are awaiting prosecution.

‘The Uganda Police Force strongly condemns all acts of mob justice. Such actions are unlawful, undermine the rule of law, and often result in the loss of innocent lives. We urge the public to refrain from taking the law into their own hands under any circumstances,’ he said.

In 2021, Aziz Bashir, 40, a former driver with the United Nations was lynched by a group of boda boda riders in an incident triggered by a minor road accident at Mengo-Katale in Rubaga Division, Kampala City, on Sunday.

The incident stemmed from an incident where a rider knocked Bashir’s car.

According to the police, Bashir jumped out of the car to complain to the boda boda rider, but other cyclists ganged up against the driver. Two riders were arrested on murder offences.

Despair and agony have gripped dozens of Ugandan families following revelations that at least 79 citizens were lured into the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, with several reported dead and others missing on the frontlines.

Seven months after formally petitioning the government and the Russian Embassy in Kampala for assistance, distraught relatives say they have been met with bureaucratic silence, leaving them in a agonizing state of limbo.

The crisis highlights a sophisticated, illicit human trafficking web spanning the Global South, where vulnerable young Africans are deceptively recruited under the guise of lucrative labor export, only to be deployed as frontline combatants or forced factory laborers in Russia’s war efforts against Ukraine.

For the families left behind, the psychological toll is devastating. Many of those trapped on the frontlines were primary breadwinners, leaving households struggling to survive.

“We have moved from office to office, but no help has come through,” Innocent Kato, the co-coordinator of an association representing the missing relatives, told Daily Monitor. “We do not know what befell our people. We do not know whether they are dead or alive. We wrote to the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, but we have not received any positive response.”

In the absence of official updates from either Kampala or Moscow, families have been forced to rely on gruesome social media notifications to learn the fate of their loved ones.

“Relatives of the people killed received the news through Facebook and WhatsApp. We were sent images of severed bodies of their loved ones, leaving us traumatised and struggling, but no one is helping,” Kato added.

Officials from Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that approximately 79 Ugandans are known to have been funneled into the conflict zone via Russia. While acknowledging that an unspecified number have been killed, government officials admitted they are currently unable to repatriate the remains of citizens who died in active combat zones.

The brewing scandal lands directly on the desk of incoming Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde. Although yet to be formally sworn into office, the retired military general has vowed to dismantle human trafficking networks disguised as legitimate external labor companies.

Speaking to journalists minutes after being vetted by Parliament’s Appointments Committee, Lt Gen Tumukunde promised a radical overhaul of the country’s labor export framework.

“We want to check the competence and capability of the person, especially where they are going, and understand whether they are suited for the tasks of the new place,” Tumukunde said, pledging rigorous background checks on foreign employers and the recruitment agencies handling Ugandan citizens.

Uganda is not alone in this crisis. More than 20 countries across the Global South have reported citizens missing or killed in Russia. Nations such as South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, Sri Lanka, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have all featured prominently on the list of trafficking sources.

Unlike Kampala’s sluggish response, some African nations are taking direct legal action. On Monday, Zimbabwean authorities arrested Leonid Koftov, a Russian national, at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare. Koftov was intercepted while attempting to board a flight with a local Zimbabwean man he had allegedly recruited for the war.

According to Zimbabwean police, Koftov was charged under the country’s Trafficking in Persons and Labour Acts. The court heard that Koftov had processed a Russian E-visa, air tickets, and hotel bookings for the recruit. The arrest came shortly after Harare confirmed that 18 Zimbabwean nationals had already been killed on the Ukrainian frontlines.

International pressure is mounting on the syndicates orchestrating the recruitment. Last month, the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU) slapped heavy sanctions on over a dozen individuals and entities accused of luring African men and women to Russia.

An intelligence report released alongside the sanctions revealed a gender-segregated exploitation pipeline: while young men are sent directly to the combat zones in Ukraine, young African women are trafficked to work under coercive conditions in the Shahed drone manufacturing factories located in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, western Russia.

Among those sanctioned on May 5, 2026, was Michel Ateba, a Cameroonian-French national, and his company, Enangue Holding. Ateba is accused of openly promoting the “Alabuga Start” program, a scheme targeting vulnerable migrants. In 2025, Ateba reportedly boasted to investigative journalists that his company had paid passport fees for at least 40 recruits from impoverished backgrounds.

The UK also sanctioned senior human resource officials driving the Alabuga Start program, including Elmir Saifullin, Savsan Yusupova, Anastasia Barysheva, and Konstantin Trifonov, all of whom have reportedly traveled to Africa to recruit workers.

Other operatives sanctioned for trafficking citizens from Cuba, Iraq, Bangladesh, India, Morocco, Yemen, Ivory Coast, and Syria include Polina Azarnykh, Abid Abid, and Elena Smirnova.

Civil society organizations in Uganda are urging the government to move beyond passive diplomacy and actively hunt down local collaborators aiding these international syndicates.

Kenneth Oloka, the Chief Executive Officer of Kyeyo Initiative Uganda-an organization advocating for the rights of Ugandan migrant workers-welcomed the international sanctions but stated they are insufficient on their own.

“Sanctions help, but they are not enough,” Oloka told this publication.”Governments should go ahead and arrest these people’s local collaborators in various countries. These traffickers do not work in isolation; they have local networks right here in Kampala facilitating the clearance and departure of our youth.”

With the economic hardships at home driving thousands of youth to seek employment abroad, experts warn that without immediate state intervention and the prosecution of local agents, more Ugandans risk being shipped off to foreign battlefields.

As the continent celebrated 63 years of the African Union recently with spectacular speeches from different leaders, the clarion call centred on Africa’s unity, solidarity and integration in the age of globalisation.

Against the backdrop of calls for unity and solidarity, however, is a continent divided along national lines, geopolitical intrigues, foreign ideologies, and race and ethnicity.

For instance, in Nigeria, there are divisions between Muslims and Christians, while in South Sudan, there is civil unrest occasioned by differences between the Nuer and Dinka tribes.

However, the most disappointing and shocking divisions on the continent are in South Africa, where nations are up in arms against fellow Africans.

Since the beginning of the year, a group of anti-immigration activists has led street demonstrations in business centres and residences in the low-cost communities of KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Johannesburg, and Soweto in ‘Operation Dudula’ to send foreigners back to their countries of birth by June 30.

The operation is targeting fellow Blacks from Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique, citing a lack of proper documentation, crimes, jobs and opportunities being occupied by foreigners.

There is a possibility that a few Black foreign nations are guilty as charged, but the practice of exercising mob justice is so wrong.

South Africa prides itself on being a “Rainbow Nation’ because it is a diverse and multicultural society. In my view, it’s disingenuous for the Operation Dudula leaders to target only Blacks who are part the migrants who comprise about five percent of South Africa’s total population.

Amid, the anti-migration demonstrations, one prominent member of the National Assembly of South Africa and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters party, Mr Julius Malema, has strongly come out to condemn the unfortunate events.

In a recent interview with Sky News Mr Malema boldly stated, ‘There is no xenophobia, but rather Afrophobia.’

Malema referred to the Operation Dudula leaders and demonstrators as clownish, charlatans and disruptors extorting Black foreigners, because they are an easy target compared to other races of foreigners.

Malema has consistently vowed never to be part of a parochial group haunting and taunting other Africans, just because they crossed to South Africa in search of greener pastures and an African dream.

As Martin Luther King Jnr stated, ‘The ultimate measure of man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at the times of challenges and controversy’.

Malema has taken a stand at a very difficult time for any politician in South Africa right now to confront the anti-immigrant demonstrators and risks losing votes in the upcoming elections.

Lest we forget, South Africa is still living with racial, social and economic disparities because, as much as political power changed in 1994, the economic power did not change hands nor did it redistribute land and capital equally.

Has South Africa abandoned our common struggle of the united states of Africa, free from divisions, hatred, visa restrictions, trade embargos, foreign influence and dependency?

The persecution of fellow Africans erodes all the historical efforts of Marcus Garvey, Haile Selassie, Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Thomas Sankara and Nelson Mandela, who struggled to unite Africa.

Dear Operation Dudula leaders and misled demonstrators, we still have a bigger struggle of ending raw materials and minerals depletion, brain drain and decolonising Africa from foreign debt that has kept our continent under imperialism.

President Museveni has called for a joint report from the Head of Public Service and the Solicitor General on the fate of four minister-nominees whose citizenship stretches beyond Uganda’s borders.

Ms Lucy Nakyobe, the head of Public Service, said yesterday that she and the Solicitor General met the affected ministers designate before drafting a brief, which was submitted to the President for guidance.

‘Seventy-eight newly appointed Cabinet members are present and ready to take oath. One is indisposed. The four others, as guided by the President, were engaged over the weekend by myself and the Solicitor General. A brief has been submitted for further guidance from the President,’ Ms Nakyobe said.

Multiple sources tcld Monitor last evening that the President’s decision on the report could take up to two weeks, or less, depending on responses from the countries where the minister nominees are renouncing citizenship, as well as other due diligence steps.

On May 29, 2026, the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent a letter to the Clerk to Parliament after conducting a verification of the appointed ministers upon request by the Legislature.

The letter, seen by Daily Monitor, revealed that three ministers designate hold citizenships of other countries in addition to Uganda.

These are Ambassador Adonia Ayebare (Foreign Affairs), Shartsi Musherure (State for Micro Finance), and Dr Lawrence Muganga (State for Internal Affairs).

The document says although Mr Calvin Echodu (State for Foreign Affairs International Affairs) holds an American passport, there was no information on his dual citizenship status.

The four ministers skipped the oath taking yesterday. According to the Internal Affairs Ministry letter, Ambassador Ayebare holds both Ugandan and American citizenship, obtained on April 23, 2025.

Ms Musherure is also an American citizen, granted on March 14, 2025, while Dr Muganga holds Ugandan, Rwandan, and Canadian citizenship, with the Ugandan one obtained on November 12, 2024.

Uganda’s immigration laws are clear; a citizen with dual nationality cannot hold the positions of president, vice president, prime minister, cabinet minister, or other ministerial posts.

The same red line applies to the Inspector General of Government, deputy Inspector General, technical heads of the armed forces, commanding officers of battalion strength, and several other key posts. The affected ministers were expected to renounce their foreign citizenships and submit certificates of renunciation to the Uganda Immigration Board.

This publication understands that the ministers designate have already begun the process of cutting ties with their second passports and are burning the midnight oil to meet the deadline. In a June 1, 2026 letter to the Chief Citizenship and Immigration Control Office, Dr Muganga initiated the process of voluntarily renouncing his Canadian citizenship with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

‘This decision has been made freely and deliberately. My intention is to hold a single citizenship, being Ugandan citizenship, which I hold by right of birth, and which reflects my permanent roots, my national identity, and my enduring commitment to Uganda,’ reads part of the letter.

He further informed the officer that he had formally submitted his renunciation application to IRCC in Canada, in accordance with Section 9 of the Citizenship Act of Canada, which allows an adult refugee who has clocked 18 years of age to freely change their citizenship.