Category: Daily Monitor

Catholic lawyers have demanded the immediate release or lawful prosecution of Rev. Fr. Deusdedit Ssekabira, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Masaka, describing his arrest and continued detention as unconstitutional and a violation of fundamental human rights.

In a statement dated December 14 and signed off by the president, the Uganda Catholic Lawyers Society (UCLS) condemned what it described as the abduction, enforced disappearance, and unlawful detention of the cleric by security operatives.

According to the lawyers, Fr. Ssekabira was abducted on December 3, 2025, by armed men travelling in unmarked vehicles, without a warrant, identification, or disclosure of the reasons for his arrest. They said he was subsequently held incommunicado in an ungazetted detention facility.

“For ten days, the priest’s whereabouts were concealed, his family, Diocese and lawyers denied access, amounting to an enforced disappearance expressly prohibited under Uganda’s Constitution and international human-rights law,” the statement reads.

The lawyers noted that on December 13, the Bishop of Masaka, Rt Rev Serverus Jjumba, informed the faithful of the priest’s disappearance and called for prayers. A day later, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) confirmed that Fr Ssekabira was in military custody over alleged involvement in violent subversive activities.

While the acknowledgement of custody ended the period of disappearance, the lawyers argued that it did not cure the alleged illegality of the arrest or detention. UCLS said the manner in which the priest was arrested violated several constitutional provisions, including the right to personal liberty, freedom from torture, the right to a fair hearing, and access to habeas corpus.

“The use of unmarked vehicles, non-identified operatives, secret detention facilities, and delayed disclosure of custody are hallmarks of unconstitutional security practices that undermine the rule of law,” the statement said.

The lawyers further criticised the military detention of a civilian, stressing that civilians should not be subjected to military custody except in narrowly defined circumstances provided for by law.

“Allegations of subversive activities do not suspend constitutional safeguards, and security concerns cannot justify abduction, secrecy, or denial of due process,” UCLS said.

The society called on the UPDF to immediately produce Fr Ssekabira before a competent civilian court, grant him access to lawyers, family, and church authorities, and disclose the legal basis and conditions of his detention.

They also urged the Director of Public Prosecutions to urgently review the matter and either lawfully charge the priest in a civilian court or order his immediate release. UCLS appealed to the Judiciary to remain vigilant in protecting personal liberty, including through the issuance of habeas corpus, and asked the Uganda Human Rights Commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the priest’s arrest and detention.

Parliament was also urged to exercise its oversight role over security agencies, particularly regarding the continued use of ungazetted detention facilities.

“The abduction and secret detention of any Ugandan is not merely an attack on an individual; it is an assault on the Constitution and the rule of law,” the lawyers said, adding that no citizen stands outside the protection of the law.

The UPDF had not immediately responded to the lawyers’ demands by press time. But in an earlier statement, the Acting Director of Defense Public Information, Col. Chris Magezi, reasoned that they picked the prelate on allegations that he was engaged in violent subversive activities against the state.

“Rev Fr Ssekabira is currently in lawful custody to assist with further investigations into the matter. He will be produced in the courts of law and charged accordingly,” Col Magezi wrote.

The 1995 Constitution demands that any person arrested shouldn’t spend more than 48 hours in custody; he/she should either be released on bond or taken to court and formally charged.

Residents from Jinja North in Jinja City have demanded immediate police action, following numerous attacks by hooded assailants whose only aim seems to be stealing mobile phones, but has resulted in the death of three residents in a space of just one week.

The first victim of the attack was Fred Wango, a resident of Wanyange cell, in the Northern division of Jinja city.

The assailants are suspected to have trailed Wango from a parking yard in Namulesa cell, before cornering him in a dark feeder road, located along the Jinja-Kamuli road.

They reportedly hit him severely on the head, causing unregulated blood flow in the brain, which is reported to have precipitated his death.

The second killing happened on December 11, 2025, when muggers attacked Lawrence Oketcho along Jinja-Kamuli road.

Oketcho, a clothing dealer known for supplying retailers within the Northern Division, is suspected to have been attacked while returning to his home in Bugembe ward, which is located about 1.5 km away from the crime scene.

Oketcho is reported to have been attacked at around 8:30pm, sustained serious injuries in the stomach area, which prompted passersby to rush him to a nearby clinic, only to be pronounced dead an hour later.

The third victim, Yusuf Mukasa, was killed on Sunday night (December 14) along the railway line connecting to his home in Wanyange Lake cell.

Yusuf Mukasa, a motor vehicle spare parts dealer in Jinja City’s central business district, was also attacked on his way from work.

Mukasa is also suspected to have been hit with a blunt object on the head, and his attackers allegedly fled after confirming that he was already dead.

One of the residents who spoke on condition of anonymity said that two youths wearing dark hooded clothing intercepted Mukasa and hit him on the head before fleeing about five minutes later.

The 7:30pm attack triggered the attention of neighbouring residents, but his pulse were already unresponsive, prompting them to contact police to intervene.

Mukasa’s body was taken to Jinja regional referral hospital mortuary for postmortem.

The killings have left residents in panic, with many calling for police intervention to contain what they have described as a new wave of criminality ahead of the festive season.

Ms Amina Aliba, a resident of Budhumbuli cell said the nature of these killings is the same, with the attackers only taking mobile phones of their victims.

According to her, police should study this pattern and avail the public with a conclusive report pertaining these killings, which will reduce on the tensions in the communities.

Another resident, Ms Esther Menya, said police should redeploy the daily foot patrol method in black spots, which they used to break up machete-wielding gangs in the past two years.

Menya says that, this method proved effective and attracted support from village L.C.1s, whose contribution beefed up police manpower, which scared away criminal-minded elements.

Mr Ayub Wabika, the mayor of Northern division said such crimes are largely instigated by unruly youths, who were once street children and they are suspected to be attacking people over unknown reasons.

Mr Wabika said concerns about the new wave of attacks were earlier raised during a security committee meeting and he is hopeful of ongoing efforts to contain them.

Meanwhile, the Kiira regional police spokesperson, James Mubi confirmed the three deaths, noting that their intelligence teams have been dispatched to extensively investigate the attacks.

A short walk through Kamwokya main market at 7am on a Sunday takes us down a narrow, tarmacked strip where business is humming along as usual, with kiosks, butcheries, and various offices open and in operation.

Strolling down the clean-swept market path with my guide Mackenzie, a well-known youth mobiliser and resident of Kamwokya, one gets the false impression that all parts of Kamwokya are this well-maintained. In the market, there is a designated refuse disposal area. It is the kind of place where you might be comfortable ordering a drink and a hot meal.

Where the tarmac strip ends, one has to jump over a wide trench with a rickety wooden bridge. You catch the stench of the trench before you reach it. It is filled with polythene bags and old plastic buckets, lined with algae on one side, and yet children are happily playing close to it. Some of the children, a couple of boys, jump in to fetch their footballs.

This is Kisenyi village, a shanty neighbourhood located in Kamwokya II Parish, in the Central Division, one of five divisions that make up Kampala City. Mr Robert Ameko, the local council chairperson of Kisenyi II says, the area is inhabited by more than 2,000 people. The parish is made up of eight villages, including Kisenyi I, II, and III, Kifumbira I and II, Mawanda Zone, Church Area, and Butakabukirwa villages.

My guide says Sunday is the perfect day to visit Kisenyi I village because the residents largely do not go to church. This is evident as we walk through the slum made up of tin shacks and makeshift wooden structures. You will find men squatting next to a rubbish-filled drainage and sharing a cigarette as they reminisce about the previous night.

The rest of the residents are at home, relaxing, trying to clean their houses, and throwing all the resulting trash into the drainage channel. Drunkards are about, discos are still playing, and youth are chewing leaves. As one navigates the narrow, winding path, it is prudent to mind where one’s feet land because there is faecal matter everywhere.

Short of toilets everywhere

We enter Kisenyi II village as the sun begins to warm up in the sky. MacKenzie leads me to a makeshift wooden structure, from which a mixture of Afro beats and reggae music is blaring out from the dark interior. Inside, about ten, mostly deadlocked youth, are gathered around a wide board containing a game of Ludo, propped up on a small stool. Some of the young men are playing cards for money inside the shack.

I sense a mixture of strong, unpleasant smells wafting from the back of the wooden shack. Upon inquiring, I learn that the stench is coming from the public toilet, one of three shared by all the villages in the parish. The public facility in question was set up 20 years ago by Coopi International, an organisation of Italian origin.

The odour in the backyard is compounded by the filthy, ever-present drainage channel that flows continuously through all eight villages that make up Kamwokya II Parish. The guide leads me down a corridor where he tells me to be careful how I tread, as I could step on a polythene bag that has faecal matter. Meanwhile, we are looking for a wash room within the vicinity. As we walk, he explains that the area has a shortage of toilets.

‘In Kamwokya here, there are only seven toilets, all of which are full. When you want a house, you can get it, but with landlords, constructing toilets is not a priority,” he says. Curious, I ask which facility one could use if they really needed to go. He hesitates and asks me if it can wait, but I tell him, ‘It can’t wait, I need to use the bathroom.’ Due to the desire to find out if there are functional facilities, MacKenzie leads the way to one of the two Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) facilities in the area.

From a distance, one is hit with an unpleasant sulphur-like odour coming from the pit-latrine. A group of children brave the stench and keep playing around it. The drainage channel around it is filled with faecal matter mixed with polythene bags that prevent the channel’s contents from flowing. To enter the public toilet facility, one must jump over piles of trash strewn around the staircase to reach the five-stance structure, which is split into two sides labelled ‘Gents and Ladies’.

Also painted on the grey-brown walls is a sign written in the Luganda language, setting the price of a short call at Shs100, a long call at Shs200, and taking a bath at Shs300. ‘That’s the facility we use, it’s full, but we don’t have anything to do,” he says. After negotiating two rickety, makeshift wooden crossings over the drainage channel, we arrive at a metallic gate with faded paint with the name Give Love Uganda, the lettering written in a mix of white, red, and yellow hues.

Compost-based solutions

Give Love Uganda is a non-governmental organisation set up to try and manage waste, with a goal of turning it into compost. The organisation’s director Dickens Bileni, says this means collecting human waste and dead animals, which find their way into public spaces. They keep the compost pile for a duration of six months. They have a thermometre-like device that gauges the readiness of the compost, which is sold to farmers around the country. Part of what the organisation does is to make compost-based toilets. The toilet mechanism consists of two buckets: one filled with sawdust. The buckets act like toilets. Ms Rose Sanyu, 38, is a beneficiary of the compost-based toilet initiative.

The stinking KCCA toilet facility in Kisenyi II, described above, is just behind Ms Sanyu’s house. There is an open drainage trench along the side of her house. On the day of our slum visit, she is sitting on a stool, cooking a meal for her six children.

The children play in the compound under her supervision to prevent them from crossing to the other end, where the toilet is. She says her children are victims of the effects of the neighbouring unsanitary public toilet, many have contracted diseases from playing near it. She recalls the dark days of the Covid-19 lockdown, when public toilets became overcrowded and inaccessible. ‘Everyone in Kamwokya had to queue for hours,’ she explains.

‘I used to get urinary tract infections from the dirty facilities. When it rained, everything, sewage, rainwater, and garbage mixed. I had no peace.’ Ms Sanyu recalls that she has so far spent Shs200,000 in treating urinary tract infections in herself and her children. She says since the toilet filled up, many resort to other means of easing themselves, which has cost the community in terms of health. ‘Since the pit-latrine filled up, some still use it despite its condition, but many are resorting to polythene bags, which, after use, are thrown into any compound or the drainage channels, which affects the children and the whole community,’ Ms Sanyu says.

Housing issues that deepen the sanitation crisis

Mr Robert Ameko, the area chairperson in Kisenyi II, when approached, says his area has a problem of human waste that is not properly disposed of, putting residents at risk of acquiring diseases. He blames the landlords in the area who do not prioritise building of toilets but are only after collecting money from tenants.

Mr Ameko, says even when land is available to construct a small pit-latrine, the landlords of the area prefer setting up makeshift shelters for people to live in. The makeshift shelters are just slightly bigger than a dog kennel and are only big enough to hold a mattress. They are raised from the ground using wooden pallets, and some of the nightly occupants use old iron sheets held down by bricks to prevent them from being blown away.

For these temporary structures, the occupants pay the landlord anywhere near Shs50,000 a month to rent. Rental rates for permanent structures start at Shs80,000, which is too expensive for the temporary lodgers, who have no access to toilet facilities, given the nature of their tenancy.

‘When a communal pit-latrine is constructed in the area, the cost of its maintenance becomes hard. We appeal to landlords to at least construct toilets for their tenants,’ he adds. Mr Ameko says residents of the area that has poor sanitation, diseases like cholera, diarrhoea, are surviving by the grace of God. He called for tough conditions to be placed on landlords who have houses without pit-latrines or toilet facilities of any kind.

A bio-solution

Despite the unsanitary conditions described, Give Love Uganda is demonstrating compost-based solutions for not only the congested environment in Kamwokya, but also for their garbage. Ms Alisa Keesey Puga, the executive director of the organisation, appeals to KCCA to adopt such interventions because small organisations like hers cannot reach everyone. She estimates that she spends $45,000 (about Shs161m) per month on workers’ wages, constructing toilet facilities for people with disabilities, and rent of office premises, among other expenses.

Birth of the compost idea

Mr Bileni says the idea started in March 2019 when Give Love Foundation trained an Innoveight team member in Karamoja on container-based sanitation (CBS) approaches, including organic waste and manure composting. Mr Bileni says this was an appropriate solution to the few and overflowing pit -latrines in an area such as Kamwokya, where the water levels are high. Later that year, Give Love Uganda trained 50 youth in compost site management. Mr Bileni now oversees 50 youth directly employed in the waste collection and curing process.

Composting process

The manure, including human waste collected from slums such as Kisenyi I village, is transported to the composting site in containers, carefully avoiding spillage, before it is emptied into a large compost bin. Technicians compost the humanure by integrating the mass with dry cover material. A thick layer of dry grass is added to the fresh material after all the containers are emptied to act as a ‘biological roof’ to keep flies out and keep the moisture inside the pile. All of the black water used for cleaning the containers is added to the compost bin, together with food scraps, and kept at a stable temperature of about 35 to 40 °C.

‘When composting a compost pile, the main concern is to prevent groundwater and surface pollution from leaching. The composting cages are constructed in a way that prevents any runoff of black water,’ he says. Regular monitoring of the temperatures is carried out by taking records that include the date when the piles were opened and when they will be closed.

The treatment accomplishes two things: it reduces the odour of the sludge, and it decreases the number of pathogens in the bio-solid.

Birth of new toilets

Mr Bileni says compost toilets function like a conventional sit-down flush toilet except that they are made of a bucket in which the toilet user covers their waste with sawdust after use instead of flushing with water. Other cover materials can be rice hulls or sugarcane bagasse.

Mature compost

When the compost pile is in balance, it creates an ideal environment for beneficial micro-organisms and fungi to flourish. Such a composting process works like digester because micro-organisms compete and feed off each other. The process and metabolic activity of the micro-organisms generate high levels that can reach 65.50 °C and higher, a process known as hot composting. Mr Bileni says a period of six months is given to enable the production of good-quality manure and to eliminate disease-causing pathogens that do not favour agriculture. ‘Immature compost produces phytotoxins that are toxic to plants,” Mr Bileni explains.

What health authorities say

Dr Herbert Nabbasa, the commissioner-in-charge of environmental health at the Ministry of Health, says the country’s sanitation coverage is very low, despite the multiple forms of sanitation available. He says despite the government implementing public interventions, the situation remains stagnant, making the public prone to diseases. ‘The sanitation coverage in the country is below 50 percent, it’s worst in slum areas of congestion and poor living standards,” he says. Dr Nabbasa says to improve the sanitation for the people in the different areas, the mindset of the people needs to be worked on to improve with the available resources.

‘We are introducing the market approach in a few piloted districts to train people to use the limited resources to establish sanitation facilities,” Dr Nabbasa says. Mr Vicent Byendaimira Biribonwa, the director of Physical Planning at KCCA, says development in areas like Kamwokya is in the pipeline, but it is being hindered by resources that stretch over all areas. He says the slums are being identified in the various hotspots to plan implementation.

‘We think of the whole city, but resources hinder us,’ Mr Biribonwa says. He adds: ‘It is our intention to improve the slums, but this year we are working on slums in Kawempe and part of Rubaga near Kabaka’s lake, where Shs1 billion has been placed.’

Three years ago, Sarah and Joseph (not their real names) were drowning in school fees debt. Every term, they borrowed between Shs1.2 million and Shs1.5 million to educate their two children.

Their combined monthly income was about Shs1.8 million, yet over 35 percent of it went into loan repayments. By the time one loan was cleared, another term had already arrived. Stress, conflict at home, and sleepless nights became routine.

Today, that same family is completely debt-free on school fees – and has not borrowed for three consecutive terms. Their breakthrough did not come from a salary raise or a miracle. It came from financial planning and basic financial literacy. Their story reflects a national reality.

Across Uganda, many parents are trapped in unending school fees debt – not because they are irresponsible, but because school fees are treated as emergencies instead of predictable financial obligations.

Silent trap

The cycle is familiar: borrow at the start of term, struggle with deductions, clear the loan just in time, then borrow again. Over time, borrowing becomes normal. This dangerous mindset – ‘I can always borrow and pay back’ – is what experts call the debt comfort zone.

Household surveys show that over 60 percent of Ugandan parents borrow for school fees at least once a year, and nearly one in three households stack education-related loans.

But the deeper truth is this: Poor debt management is not the real problem. It is only a symptom of a much bigger challenge – lack of financial literacy.

Without skills in planning, budgeting, saving, and controlled borrowing, debt becomes the default survival tool.

Sarah and Joseph’s change began when they calculated the true annual cost of education.

When they added tuition, uniforms, transport, meals, books, and exams, the total came to Shs3.6 million per year.

They divided this by 12 months and began saving Shs300,000 monthly. They adopted one powerful rule: ‘While paying for this term, save for the next one.’

They opened a separate school fees account and automated deposits. Even while clearing a small loan, they saved simultaneously. Within two terms, their borrowing reduced by over 50 percent. By the third term, borrowing stopped completely.

Debt is not always the enemy – but mismanaged debt is:

Sometimes, school fees debt is unavoidable due to illness, job loss, or emergencies. The danger begins when parents:

Borrow the entire amount instead of the gap

Take long-term loans for short-term fees, or stack school fees loans every term.

Managed well, debt should be temporary, limited, and shrinking. When it becomes permanent, the real issue is no longer income – it is structure, discipline, and mindset.

As we enter the festive season, three principles must guide every household:

If you spend all your income on wants, you will be forced to borrow for needs.Do not try to impress people who don’t even like you with resources you do not have.

Every financial decision is an opportunity cost – ensure it is a worthwhile one.

Christmas joy should not become January debt. Celebration is not the enemy – careless spending is.

Financial literacy is the solution.

Financial literacy is not about stock markets or complex investments. It is about:

Planning before pressure,

Saving before spending,

Borrowing with limits, and

Building systems that work even when income is small.

Families that save Shs5,000 to Shs10,000 daily consistently are often more stable than families that borrow millions occasionally. The difference is not money – it is control and confidence.

As Sarah says, ‘We didn’t defeat debt by earning more. We defeated it by learning how money works.’

School fees debt affects productivity, mental health, family stability, and national growth. Uganda urgently needs a shift from:

School fees panic ? school fees planning

Borrowing culture ? saving culture

Financial shame ? financial skill

When school fees move from crisis to system, families move from stress to stability – and children grow in homes built on planning, not panic.

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a financially well-planned New Year 2026.

With about a month left to the General Election, the National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, has called upon the people of Pallisa District and Ugandans across the country to join him in the struggle to cause change if they want a better future.

Addressing hundreds of supporters at Kalaki playground on Tuesday, Mr Kyagulanyi said that Ugandans should take the General Election as a one-time opportunity to cause change by voting out Mr Museveni, who has been in power since 1986 and plans to push his rule to 45 years in the January 2026 polls.

The musician turned politician claimed this could be the last General Election Ugandans participate in because Mr Museveni allegedly plans to again change the constitution to facilitate his life presidency project.

“I want us to use this last opportunity to elect the president because Mr Museveni has grown old and no longer has better ideas for Ugandans,’ he added.

According to him, January 15, 2026, should be used as an opportunity by Ugandans to get a new Uganda, arguing that Mr Museveni has run out of ideas to move the country forward, given that corruption, impunity and human rights abuse have become rampant.

He also promised that once given the mandate to be the chief executive officer of the country, priority would be put in investing in strategic areas such as health services, better roads, better schools and improving the well-being of Ugandans.

He reiterated that his government would boost the remuneration, which would in turn improve the relationship and trust between security operatives and ordinary citizens, thus fostering lasting security.

Before his arrival, there was heavy security deployment across Pallisa town as hundreds of supporters jammed the main road leading to the main rally at Kalaki playground.

The supporters donned in party colour attires painted the town red with minimal business going on.

According to him, 40 years of Mr Museveni have left nothing but pain, economic frustration, poor education and human rights violations.

“All these have been happening because of the bad leadership under President Museveni. On January 15, 2026 Ugandans will be making a historical decision whether to remain under a dictatorial government or to a new government with hope of freedom and democracy,’ he said.

He also claimed that the country is currently being governed by one family, citing examples of Mr Museveni’s family members and relatives in key government positions.

He said he would champion unity of all Ugandans across the country if voted into office, arguing that citizens have been disunited over the years on tribal, religious and economic lines with a wide gap of economic disparity which has disadvantaged vulnerable Ugandans who are the majority.

Parish and village leaders of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) in several sub-counties in Bududa District have raised concern over the alleged misuse of funds meant to facilitate grassroots mobilisation in support of President Yoweri Museveni ahead of the 2026 general elections.

The leaders, comprising 30 village structure leaders, including representatives of the youth, persons with disabilities (PWDs), women, and the elderly, are from Busiriwa, Bumwalukan, and Kuwushu town council.

“But instead, the villages are receiving two hundred and three hundred thousand shillings from the District NRM Executive Council, and we have been denied the opportunity to ask questions while receiving reduced funds for village members,” said Mr Stephen Mawanga, the NRM chairperson for Shiyabi West Village in Shikholo Parish, Bumwalukani Sub-county. The leaders are tasked with moving village to village and conducting door-to-door campaigns for President Museveni and all NRM flag bearers.

Mr. Moses Netuye, the NRM flag bearer councillor for Buyi Parish in Busiriwa Sub-county, noted that out of the 11 villages in Buyi Parish, leaders received only Shs 2.7 million instead of the expected Shs 6,930,000, which was meant to facilitate 693 members from the villages in the parish.

“Now voices from the grassroots are claiming that if leaders ‘eat’ money meant to facilitate transport during mobilization for President Museveni, they may instead vote for other candidates,” he said.

Ms. Agnes Nandutu, the Woman Member of Parliament for Bududa District, condemned the way the District NRM Executive Council is handling the Parish-Based Grassroots Mobilisation Programme.

“I have communicated with Members of Parliament from other regions-Western and Northern Uganda-and villages there are receiving Shs630,000. What is wrong with Bududa? Let justice be done. Let the NRM District Executive bring justice to the people, exercise transparency, and give village members the money that comes from their party,” Ms. Nandutu said.

Responding to the allegations, Mr. Andrew Nakhaboya, the NRM Publicity Secretary for Bududa District, said that under the initial guidelines from the party secretariat, district leaders were instructed to deliver the funds only to members who were present, which is why the amount received in each village was reduced.

“However, we received the new directive instructing, instructing District NRM councils to deliver the full amount Shs 630,000 to every village, as the funds are meant for 63 members, with each member receiving Shs 10,000 as transport facilitation while mobilizing support for President Museveni and all NRM flag bearers,” he said.

Uganda has been elected to the Industrial Development Board (IDB) of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) for the period 2025 to 2027.

The UNIDO is a specialised agency of the UN that promotes sustainable industrial development to reduce poverty and foster inclusive globalisation. Uganda’s election was confirmed at the 21st UNIDO General Conference held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last week.

The country’s delegation to the General Conference was led by Mr Isaac Sebulime, Uganda’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and comprised of officials from the Uganda Permanent Mission in Vienna and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives.

During the general conference, Nature Bio Foods, an Indian Company with operations in Uganda, was announced winner of the UNIDO One World Sustainability Awards under the sustainable supply chains category.

The company opened a processing plant in Uganda in 2023 and is currently working with 16,000 farmers involved in the production of soybean, sorghum, chia seeds and sesame seeds.

About UNIDO, IDB

The UNIDO was established in 1966, became a specialised agency of the UN in 1985, and has its headquatres in Vienna, Austria. As of October 2024, it operates in over 60 countries with 173 member states. Its primary mission is to promote and accelerate sustainable industrial development, particularly in developing countries and economies in transition.

The 53-member IDB is responsible for reviewing and implementing the work programme, regular and operational budgets, and making recommendations to the General Conference on policy matters, including the appointment of the Director General.

Consumer behaviour in Uganda has shifted so sharply that the traditional December shopping cycle is losing some of its former relevance.

Ugandans are no longer saving for one big festive spend; they are buying continuously, driven by daily needs, stretched incomes, and the influence of global retail culture.

This is driven by rising day-to-day living costs, stretched household incomes, and the need to prioritise essentials. Many consumers now make smaller, continuous purchases rather than a single large outlay, balancing affordability with necessity. This shift is further reinforced by global retail culture, where constant promotions, online shopping, and year-round sales events encourage ongoing spending rather than seasonal saving.

As a result, the festive season has become less about one major financial moment and more about a gradual build-up shaped by economic pressure and changing consumer habits.

Yet, this festive season, businesses across Uganda are still gearing up for what remains one of the most lucrative windows of the year.

Christmas is still synonymous with enjoyment, family gatherings, and festivities, creating predictable patterns of consumer behaviour and clear business opportunities.

Christmas in Uganda is more than a holiday-it is a cultural spectacle that turns December into a month of heavy spending, travel, and celebration.

‘I’m telling traders and businesspeople,’ says Abubakar Muhammad Moki, executive director of the Uganda Network of Businesses, ‘it is not about discovering new markets. It is about positioning yourself to meet the needs Ugandans already prioritise every December.’

For most Ugandans, Christmas is a cultural event marked by enjoyment, family gatherings, and seasonal indulgence.

This tradition-driven mindset creates predictable spending patterns, with the commercial upswing starting roughly two weeks before Christmas and stretching about two weeks beyond, energising nearly every sector of the economy.

Here are some that consistently cash in on the Christmas boom, proving that even amid changing habits, the festive economy still holds plenty of promise.

Clothing

Clothing is always in fashion when it comes to festive spending. No matter their income, Ugandan families feel the irresistible urge to step out in something new-or at least new to them.

The desire to look their best at Christmas gatherings and church services sends demand soaring in both urban markets and rural trading centers. Even the smallest upcountry traders enjoy rare sales spikes as travellers return home bearing gifts and new outfits.

Food and drink vendors

Food and drink vendors also enjoy exceptional business. Although tastes vary across regions-with some households favouring rice while others prioritise posho-the overall surge in consumption is unmistakable.

Chapati becomes a fast-moving street item, and meat sales rise dramatically as families seek goat, beef, chicken, pork and even mutton to anchor their Christmas meals.

Alongside these staples, beverages dominate shopping lists, with both sodas and alcoholic drinks recording some of their highest annual turnovers during this period.

Transport operators

Transport operators arguably enjoy the biggest seasonal windfall. The mass movement of people from cities to their rural homes creates unprecedented demand for transport, often pushing routes and terminals beyond capacity. Taxi drivers, bus companies, boda boda riders and fuel station owners report significant increases in business as travellers rush to beat the festive crowds.

In many rural areas, the influx of returning residents injects fresh cash into local trading centres, temporarily boosting their micro-economies.

Accommodation providers also find themselves in an advantageous position. With transport systems overwhelmed, many travellers end up stranded in transit towns and are forced to seek short-term lodging.

Lodges and guesthouses fill up quickly, and even modest room operators in small trading centres can make unusually high profits during this period.

Grooming and cosmetics

Moki also points to grooming and cosmetics as a quietly thriving industry during Christmas. Beauty shops, salons and barbershops experience heavy traffic as people prepare themselves for church services, visits and end-of-year events. For many, appearance becomes part of the celebration, turning personal care into yet another dependable seasonal business.

From his perspective, the Christmas economy offers a rare chance even for small or first-time entrepreneurs to earn meaningful income. The combination of cultural obligation, family tradition and widespread travel ensures that demand is both strong and predictable.

For those seeking quick business opportunities, the festive season is less about discovering new markets and more about positioning oneself to serve needs that Ugandans unfailingly prioritise every December.

One of the clearest casualties of this year’s shifting behaviour is the events sector – usually a Christmas powerhouse.

Events industry

This industry is marked by bookings, postponements, and election anxiety.

To understand how festive business is shifting in Uganda, look no further than the events industry-one of the season’s biggest service providers.

Lilian Kansiime Bagota, chief executive officer of Lian Events, which has planned some of the city’s most talked-about parties, says the landscape is changing.

‘These days the biggest chunk of wedding budgets goes to decoration and photography,’ she explains.

‘Clients care more about aesthetics and capturing memories than anything else.’

But this year, the festive calendar is feeling the strain.

Most people are preparing for a modest Christmas, as they plan to cut back on Christmas spending.

Bagota attributes the slowdown to two factors: elections and tighter finances.

‘It is not as busy as last year because of the elections,’ she says. ‘I’m booked, but not overly booked. It is going to be hectic, but not overwhelming.’

Even fully booked dates don’t tell the whole story. The spending power of clients has shrunk compared to previous years.

‘I’m not seeing the high-end clients. Weddings are now for 50 to 100 guests. Events are not as exaggerated as they used to be,’ she adds.

Election anxiety has also forced some couples to reschedule entirely.

‘A couple who was supposed to wed on December 13th moved their date to February,’ Bagota says.

She notes that the diaspora, often the biggest spenders, is further slowing the season.

‘People have relatives flying in from the UK, Qatar, and other places. They’re saying, ‘Because of elections, I’ll go to Uganda after.’ That is why so many are postponing,’ she explains.

For event planners like Bagota, the festive season is still profitable-but the patterns are shifting, and businesses must adapt to the new reality of cautious spending and election-related uncertainty.

A shift in spending patterns

But is Christmas still the same?

Christmas remains one of Uganda’s busiest spending seasons. But senior economist Dr Fred Muhumuza warns that consumer behaviour is evolving.

‘The trends we are seeing today reflect reality,’ he says. ‘People buy both online and offline. Ugandans no longer save all year for one big festive spend-needs arise, and they spend as they go.’

Items once reserved for Christmas are now purchased throughout the year.

‘Traditionally, a cow would only be slaughtered at Christmas. But now, families slaughter a cow almost every weekend. People buy what they need and move on,’ Muhumuza explains.

Global retail culture is also leaving its mark.

‘The December buying cycle is no longer the main driver,’ he adds.

Even in a country with summer all year, these global trends have taken root. Early discounts are drawing shoppers away from the traditional festive rush. ‘Any Ugandan trader insisting on the Christmas rush risks missing out. People are already spending,’ he cautions.

Financial strategy is changing too. ‘Many are saving for land, others for school fees. Financial literacy is growing. Traders in school supplies still have a strong market-January is for buying school items before schools open in February,’ Muhumuza notes.

Reflecting on the changes, he adds thoughtfully, ‘As for Christmas shopping, I’m no longer very certain.’

The High Court has halted the cutting down of a central forest and the National Agricultural Research Organisation research by Victorious Car Bond in Mukono District.

In an interim injunction order issued by Judge Stephen Mubiru last Wednesday, Victorious Car Bond activities on Kifu Central Forest Reserve land FRV 1585 Folio 23, Block 535 Plot 219 at Malaje and Kasayi, Kaggwe, Mukono, have been restrained until the case has been disposed of.

‘It is hereby ordered that the respondent, its servants, agents, employees, assignees, successors in title and such other persons claiming under it, are hereby restrained from dealing in, transacting, alienating, developing, or in any way destroying or interfering with applicant’s property, research trials and natural forest found on land comprised in Kifu Central Forest Reserve (specifically the area claimed by the respondent under Freehold Certificate of Title FRV 1585 Folio 23, Block 535 Plot 219 at Malaje and Kasayi, Kaggwe, Mukono until the final hearing and determination/disposal of the main application,’ the court interim injunction reads.

The court ruling followed NARO suing Victorious Car Bond Ltd for ownership of 114.9 hectares of forested land. In 2017, Victorious Car Bond claimed ownership of 114.9 hectares of the 1,419 hectares of forest reserve located in Nama and Mpoma sub-counties in Mukono District. The car bond is said to have obtained land titles for the forested land from the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.

The investors claimed that the forest had been deforested since it was near urban areas. But the government had earlier rejected proposals to deforest the central forest reserve for human development.

Part of the Kifu Central Reserve Forest was licensed by the National Forestry Authority to the National Forestry Resources Research Institute (NaFORRI), a public research arm of the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), to study local trees and protect the catchment area of Lake Victoria.

When the ownership wrangle escalated, the NFA and NARO invited the police and the army to protect the forest from encroachment. The security personnel blocked the erasing of the forest and the research centre.

Victorious Car Bond owners petitioned the Minister of Internal Affairs, claiming that the police were being misused to prevent them from developing their land. In a letter dated October 17, 2025, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire, wrote to the police directing them not to interfere with the investor’s operations, but they should give him protection.

‘Anyone with an objection to their proprietorship or occupancy of the land ought to pursue the same in courts of law and refrain from misusing the Uganda Police. Police do not decide on land matters; it only protects decisions of the Ministry of Lands and courts of law,’ Maj Gen Otafiire wrote to the Inspector General of Police Abas Byakagaba.

The police withdrew their forces. Last month, the workers of Victorious Car Bond started cutting down part of the central forest reserve, which they say they acquired from the Ministry of Land, Housing, and Urban Development.

But the Ministry of Water and Environment says that an individual can’t own part of the forest, which hasn’t been degazetted. Last month, the Ministry of Water and Environment wrote to the police Inspector General of Police seeking urgent deployment of officers to save a forest reserve and agricultural research centre that Victorious Car Bond had started destroying.

The Monitor understands that the Environment Protection Police Unit has agreed to deploy troops today (Tuesday) in accordance with the court order.

Uganda and Syria have pledged to deepen their diplomatic relations and open diplomatic missions in the two countries. Currently both countries have no diplomatic representations. While Syria has a consulate in Uganda, all Uganda’s relations with Syria are handled by its mission in Cairo.

During the Syrian day celebrations over the weekend in Kampala, the state minister for foreign affairs in charge of international relations, Henry Okello Oryem said though the two have never had diplomatic missions, they have had warm relations over the years, with Uganda opening its door to the Syrian businesses and refugees.

‘So in terms of bilateral cooperation between Uganda, we hope that this opens new doors towards a bilateral trade between our two countries, because we have not had a bilateral or diplomatic missions between our two countries since independence,’ he said.

‘But we hope that with this new development, Uganda can now open a mission in Syria and the consulate here in Uganda can be upgraded to a full embassy,’ he added.

Delve in food export, reconstruction

Oryem urged Ugandans to exploit the opportunity and start exporting agricultural products to Syria, saying that is a virgin area that has never been tapped.

‘There is a lot of opportunities in agriculture, which we hope that we can sell a lot of our agriculture products. It’s a market that we can never satisfy in terms of our agriculture opportunities. Our bananas, our fruits, our vegetables, our cereals, a lot of opportunities. And if we strategically place ourselves properly, we can have opportunity to export numerous and enormous amount of our products,’ he said.

Oryem said Syria is undergoing reconstruction under years of conflicts and that qualified Ugandans, especially engineers and IT experts should take the advantage to go to the country and participate in the reconstruction works.

He also said Syria has highly qualified professionals from whom Ugandan students can learn to improve their skills.

‘And also, similar to hope in terms of this, are highly educated and trained individuals. And we hope that by that we can also have opportunities to send our students to work closely with them in order for our students to educate and gain experience in that country,’ he said.

Dr Tamouh Mustafa, the Syrian honorary consul in Kampala said the years of civil war and dictatorship under the Assad family had ruined the country and that now is the time to rebuild what was once avibrant economy in the Middle East.

‘I bring you greeting perfumed with the jasmine of Damascus. A greeting from the people who refuse humiliation. A people whose nature is to love all. For nearly 14 years, the world has seen little of Syria except violence and events until the mention of her name became unwelcome among many nations. Her people found few countries willing to receive them,’ he said.

Painfully for Syrians, and people who have always opened their homes and hearts to nations suffering from war throughout history. One year ago, on this very day, Syria opened a new page in our history, written by heroes who feared none but Allah. They give their lives and their wealth to grant us this great gift, opening the way for us to rebuild Syria. We salute them with respect and we are certain their sacrifices will never be in vain, neither in the world nor the hereafter,’ he added.

He said amidst the chaos and the events that unfolded far in the Middle East, Uganda never abandoned the people of Syrian, even when many across the globe turned their backs on the citisens from the country.

‘Uganda opened its doors to Syrians from the very beginning of the revolution until it became a second home for many. Brotherly family ties have grown between Syrians and Ugandans. On this occasion, I extend heartfelt thanks to the government and people of Uganda. In my name and in the name of Syrians government and in the name of all Syrians, Syria strong as iron, looks forward to building strong relationships with Africa in general and with Uganda in particular,’ he said.

Dr Mustafa said Uganda has received delegations from top Syrian government officials in the recent time and this can only help in furthering relationship between the two countries.

‘Many Syrians officials have visited Uganda in the past year, including the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Syria. Numerous meetings and discussions have been taking place, which we hope will result in agreements across all in the future,’ he said.